Definitions HQ

A Mother-in-law (n.) may ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not be followed along the beach until the rising tide has washed her footprints from the sand.

The Mother-in-law (n.) and ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠son-in-law have been an awkward pair since the earliest times, hedged among primitive peoples with powerful taboos and avoidances.

A Mother-in-law (n.) who ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is still living fights her son's search for her memory-image in another woman, and meets this renewal of herself with hostility.

A Mother-in-law (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠liable to fall in love with her daughter's man — and turns the unkind, sadistic parts of her love on him so the tender ones can be more severely suppressed.

A Mother-in-law (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the figure who interferes with a husband's illusory overvaluation: she reminds him of his wife, yet lacks all her charms of youth and beauty.