| nice-nellyism |
| Definition -
Excessive prudishness in speech.
Notes: 1. Language that is marked by the excessive use of euphemism used to be called nice-nelly language. |
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Example - She fainted when I asked her if she wanted some chicken breast. |
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Etymology - The term derives from the name Nice Nelly, which in the 1930s denoted the stereotypical prudish woman. Both the term and prudishness itself have become obsolete. |
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Oxford English Dictionary - The term's first citation is from 1936: "Perhaps, it is true, as charged that the British press is displaying a brand of Nice Nellyism in refusing to mention the subject [sc. the divorce of Mrs Simpson, later Duchess of Windsor]." (New Republic 28 Oct. 337/1 ) |
