I recently read a sentence that struck me as unusual:
Picture Egypt as a vacant lot in which a dozen or so combustible elements--a leaking oil can here; some dry wood over there; patches of desiccated grass--sit in varying degrees of proximity to one another, while the boys who play in the lot light cigarettes. Chances are, something will catch fire."
What's unusual about that first sentence? Answer: It uses the word "proximity" without its normal partner "close" linked to it. Saying "close proximity" has always struck me as redundant, and somewhat ignorant. My online dictionary defines "proximity" as "nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, or relation."
I'm far from expert in English usage, and don't mean to be pedantic, it's just that I was genuinely surprised to see the word used in a proper way.