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The ordinary-sized words are for everyone, but the big ones are especially for children.



Tuesday 14 May 2013

Thing Not To Do Today: simper.

No, please don't do this.

A single simper can be enough to wreck a huge and passionate  relationship:

'What do you want Rhett?'
'I'll tell you, Scarlett O'Hara, if you'll take that Southern-belle simper off your face. Someday, I want you to say to me the words I heard you say to Ashley Wilkes. I love you Scarlett...'

Simpering is for the self-important, the pompous and the patronising. That is, utter, utter fools.

Really, it'll do you no good. A simperer reeks of falsity and self-centredness. You can suss out a simperer in a second.

If you're not blind, probably even faster.

 Thing Not To Do Today: simper. This word arrived in English in the 1500s. It's quite like the Middle Dutch zimperlijc, which means elegant, but there's a Danish dialect word simper which means affected or coy.

2 comments:

  1. I first learnt the word 'simper' as a child while reading The Bash Street Kids, and it was something to do with Cuthbert, the hated teacher's son - I can't even remember the context, but it will be forever associated with that comic and that boy!

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  2. I loved the Bash Street kids too. Apart from Cuthbert Cringeworthy, of course.

    For me, it's the word Plug that gives me the madeleine moment, though.

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