Intercostal adj. (Anat. & Physiol.) Between the ribs; pertaining to, or produced by, the parts between the ribs; as, intercostal respiration, in which the chest is alternately enlarged and contracted by the intercostal muscles.
... Adam with the same sense of escape while he lay asleep. According to one of the conflicting legends of the two gods of Genesis, woman was then actually one with man. Marriage has ever since been an effort to put her back among his ribs, but she has always refused to be intercostal. It is an ancient habit to pretend that she is, and sometimes she pretends to snuggle into place. Yet she has never been, can never be, re-ribbed—especially not since marriage is an attempt to fit her into ... — We Can't Have Everything • Rupert Hughes
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