Kalman has a way of alighting on a moment in history, and animating it with personal details, both true and imagined.
Saying which she turned a somersault off the Woozy and, alighting on her feet, began wildly dancing about.
They had come by the road; and others, alighting, were about to take the road.
He slipped sidewise on alighting, jarred his elbow, and bruised his leg.
The birds, alighting on the spot, caught their feet in the snare.
At a height of several thousand feet in the air, he freed himself and descended gradually, alighting gently upon the earth.
A hand settled in mine with the brushing touch of an alighting bird.
We had scarcely arrived when a frigidus appeared on the scene, alighting six feet away.
On the doorstep he met Mr Rimbolt, alighting from his brougham.
As it drew into the station, they eagerly scanned the alighting passengers.
"to descend, dismount," Old English alihtan, originally "to lighten, take off, take away," from a- "down, aside" (see a- (1)) + lihtan "get off, make light" (see light (v.)). The notion is of getting down off a horse or vehicle, thus lightening it. Of aircraft (originally balloons) from 1786. Related: Alighted; alighting.
"on fire," early 15c., apparently from Middle English aliht, past participle of alihton (Old English on-lihtan) "to light up," also "to shine upon" (see light (n.)).
