[Vocabulary] to pad; atop

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I am still reading The Rule of Four, a novel by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason published in 1999. I found their style somewhat artificial. For example,

I pad through my own belongings, finding almost everything untouched.
"Pad" is a synonym "to walk", so how could it fit into this context? I think 'rummage' would be more appropriate.
Another example,

Atop the table stand a Tiffany lamp and a phone.
Why not just 'on'?
 

probus

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To pad is to walk silently, generally slowly and certainly without shoes. Think of a cat, small or large, checking out its surroundings. On would be fine instead of atop, but keep in mind that the publishers unoubtledly had the manuscript revised by professional editors. They must have had their reasons for preferring atop.
 

jutfrank

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The verb pad here seems to mean 'feel gently, with an open hand'. It has nothing to do with walking.
 

probus

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I haven't read the book, but I see no reason to give pad a figurative interpretation. In my opinion the OP is right: pad is a synonym for walk.
 

Jemima23

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Not a teacher.

Found a couple of examples:
There was complete silence as we padded through two more streets with walls so bitten away that they looked like lace.
We padded through those quiet, leafy roads in utter silence.

"Padding through" meaning to walk softly and quietly.
So I agree, I don't see why authors chose this particular word to put in this context.
"Atop", however, seems appropriate.
 

Tdol

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I
Atop the table stand a Tiffany lamp and a phone.
Why not just 'on'?

I guess they think it's stylish. I don't. Could pad mean that the person is walking round the house checking on their belongings?
 

emsr2d2

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Constaninusphilo, since you're the one reading the book, you're the one best placed to work out what the writer meant by "pad". Was he/she moving around a room or a building, on their feet? Were they sitting down, as you put it, rummaging? I'm sure there must be something in the surrounding context that gives you a clue.
 

5jj

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The pages aren't numbered. I just went to 'find' and typed in 'padded'.
 
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It's in Chapter seven. around the middle, a bit closer to the end.
 

emsr2d2

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It's not 100% clear but I would say that since there is no mention of him sitting down, and all the people involved seem to be inspecting their own rooms quite carefully, which would involve moving around, "pad" probably refers to walking softly.
 

Rover_KE

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I only ever see 'atop' in crosswords, when the compiler needs a four-letter word beginning with a and ending with p.
 

Tdol

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It's not 100% clear but I would say that since there is no mention of him sitting down, and all the people involved seem to be inspecting their own rooms quite carefully, which would involve moving around, "pad" probably refers to walking softly.

He's moving, so I think the standard meaning applies.
 

jutfrank

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I notice that the author uses both meanings of the verb 'pad' (to walk and to feel with the hand) in the novel:

Paul and I pad down the basement hallway, to find that only one piano is still at work. [p.167]

“Are you hurt?” the other says to me, padding at my chest with his hands. [p.227]

Reading through the passage, it appears that the character is in his bedroom checking whether his belongings have been stolen in a recent burglary. I can't quite see how 'pad' in the sense of 'walk' works very well to describe this action, but I now agree that is more likely to be what is meant than the 'feel' meaning, so I'll retract my comment in post #3.
 
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