Has your breath ever 'hitched??

[fuckeditupbadly]

Honestly, what is it lately with this expression in the soft porn/ Romantasy stuff? Its become one of those things that massively irritates me. I liked fantasy and dragons before they were cool. Now every Jonnycomelately has jumped on the bandwagon with fae this and magic that and they all, apparently, 'hitch' their breath, just before getting ravaged by the chisel jawed, brooding, evil but not really, hero. I mean, Buffy and Angel did this already, 25 years ago. Remember 'swirly coat, king of pain"? AIBU to think this is all very derivative? Entertaining, but very very derivative?

I freely confess that I've never read anything in the soft porn/Romantasy genre or indeed about Buffy and Angel or even fantasy and dragons. Oh dear, I must appear an awful ignoramus in your eyes. Perhaps you could recommend some worthy tomes to better educate me.

It all sounds very American.

This is exactly what I was going to say!

Neither have I, but I think it all depends on what is considered "reading"!

😂

I'm still no clearer what it means
is it like a mini gasp?

...

Bollocks, quoted the wrong post before.

So what I think you're saying is: all the words, but not necessarily in the right order?

Romantasy follows a formula because it's popular and it sells. Man the size of a wardrobe seduces innocent (but incredibly powerful) young girl. Often with dragons.

I wouldn't worry, OP. It's being gobbled up at the moment, but something else will be along in a second (let's just hope it's not Dark Academia, eh?)

Thanks all. It was absolutely light hearted and just a general musing on a trend that I'm seeing. It absolutely means 'caught' as in their breath catches as they are swept up in a passionate embrace or whatever. If Romantasy, fantasy, Buffy etc is not your thing, feel free to scroll past. Its just an irritating trope Im seeing way too much of. And yes, I fear Dark Academia is definitely next.

It absolutely means 'caught' as in their breath catches as they are swept up in a passionate embrace or whatever. If Romantasy, fantasy, Buffy etc is not your thing, feel free to scroll past

It's been around for decades from as far back as Catherine Cookson and Barbara Cartland, the Mills & Boon era. No dragons back then.

It makes total sense to me, I don't understand the confusion. A hitch is a disruption in a process or plan (as in, "it went off without a hitch"). So a hitch in a breath would be a disruption in that breath!

You lost me at hitched and I like a good dragon especially if it’s a fantasy dragon!

My breath hitches often, but not in response to seeing a chisel-jawed guy. It's a nice experience of breathing in and then finding at the top of my breath that my lungs have suddenly found a little extra space for a much deeper inhale.

It seems to happen more in the hours following intense cardio exercise.

The other sort of occasion for that little hitch is when something frightens me - like a jump scare in a horror movie. That's clearly part of the fight-or-flight adrenaline response, giving me a bit more oxygen for running away.

Yes, exactly this. There's a little stop and then a second phase of the inhale. So the term 'hitch' is framing that stop as a catch/snag/disruption in the breath. (though actually, to me, it doesn't feel like a breath has been interrupted. It's more like the breath finishes normally and then you get a little extra bonus breath at the top of your inhalation.)

Yes, my breath hitches when I see the evil-but sexy dragon lord as I’m padding round my cool house, swishing around my blue mane of curls, practising my badass magic, breaking off only to look in the mirror to deplore that my nose is too tip-tilted and my lips are too big.

It’s not the same though. I caught my breath means you were breathless and you got your breathing back to normal. A hitch in breath is a slight stumble in breathing during one breath in.

Yes when I get in a very cold river.

(I do wild swimming),

but I do hear you about the Romantasy stuff after you’ve read one of them you’ve read all of them.

i do like Tairn being sarcastic though

Anyone remember that comedian, "I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order"

Yes, a very famous line from Eric Morecambe. I know how he felt!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01nmgjx