leaned across

[keannu]

Does "leaned across" mean "bend your back foward or backward"?

go1-ane
ex)..From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed young man helping himself to her cookie. She did not want to make a scene, so she leaned across and took a cookie herself...

[bhaisahab]

Does "leaned across" mean "bend your back foward or backward"?

go1-ane
ex)..From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed young man helping himself to her cookie. She did not want to make a scene, so she leaned across and took a cookie herself...

It seems pretty unlikely to me that a person would lean backwards to take a cookie.

[HanibalII]

Does "leaned across" mean "bend your back foward or backward"?

go1-ane
ex)..From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed young man helping himself to her cookie. She did not want to make a scene, so she leaned across and took a cookie herself...

It could mean she leant sideways, or forwards, or even backwards.

But no, 'leaned across' is not restricted to 'bend your back forward or backwards'

You could also use 'leant' which I believe sounds more natural.

[Rover_KE]

Across means 'from one side to the other'. (COED)

Here's a picture of a child leaning across another.

He/she is also leaning slightly forward, but that's incidental to the main direction of the action.

Rover

[Gillnetter]

It could mean she leant sideways, or forwards, or even backwards.

But no, 'leaned across' is not restricted to 'bend your back forward or backwards'

You could also use 'leant' which I believe sounds more natural.

It could sound more natural to you, but I had to look up the word in a dictionary. To me, "leant" (spelled lent in AMe) is the past tense of "lend".

[bhaisahab]

It could sound more natural to you, but I had to look up the word in a dictionary. To me, "leant" (spelled lent in AMe) is the past tense of "lend".

It doesn't sound more natural to me either.

[Rover_KE]

To me, leant (pronounced lent) is just fine as the past tense of 'lean'.

Rover

[bhaisahab]

To me, leant (pronounced lent) is just fine as the past tense of 'lean'.

Rover

It's fine for me too, but so is leaned.