Impress / Impressions / Impressive

To make an impression – to make a mark.

Literally: in clay, pottery;  sand – on the beach; mud – fossilised footprints; wax – sealing a letter or document; plasticine – when you were at school; cement – handprints in cement, like outside Grauman’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood when Mel Brooks did his handprints he wore a prosthetic sixth finger, and Groucho Marx imprinted his cigar.

Metaphorically: to make an impression on someone – to affect or influence strongly.

You never get a chance to make a good first impression. Dressed to impress. I need to impress upon you the seriousness of the situation…

It also meant to compel men to serve in the army or navy – ‘one volunteer is worth ten pressed men’.

There’s impressionists – people who do impressions

Then there’s Impressionism in art.

It’s often said of people’s achievements that they are impressive – so have your characters done anything that could be called impressive?

As usual, who, where, what, when, why and how…