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nice-Nellyism

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: nice-nellyism

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From nice Nelly +‎ -ism.

Noun

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nice-Nellyism (countable and uncountable, plural nice-Nellyisms)

  1. (usually uncountable) Prudishness or excessive modesty.
  2. (countable) A euphemism; an act or expression of prudishness or excessive modesty.
    • 1976, Kurt Vonnegut, Slapstick, Delacorte Press, Prologue, p. 8:
      He was a co-founder of the Indianapolis Chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. ¶ His obituary in the Indianapolis Star said that he himself was not an alcoholic. ¶ This denial was at least partly a nice-Nellyism from the past, I think.
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