parlous

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English

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WOTD – 8 January 2020

Etymology

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From Middle English parles, parlous, perlous, [and other forms], a contraction of perilous (“dangerous; dreadful, terrible; morally corrupt, sinful, wicked; inauspicious, unlucky”) (and thus a doublet of perilous),[1] from Old French perilleus, perillos, perillous, perilluse, perilleuse, perilleux (“very dangerous, perilous”) (modern French périlleux), from Latin perīculōsus (“dangerous, hazardous, perilous”), from perīculum (“danger, hazard, peril, risk”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to dare, risk, try”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming adjectives).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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parlous (comparative more parlous, superlative most parlous)

  1. Attended with peril; dangerous, risky.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dangerous
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:safe
    The situation became parlous when the weather made resupply impossible.
    • 1593, Gabriel Harvey, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse, London: […] Iohn Wolfe, →OCLC; republished as John Payne Collier, editor, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame (Miscellaneous Tracts. Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I; no. 8), [London: [s.n.], 1870], →OCLC, page 137:
      [B]ables and comedies are parlous fellowes to decipher, and diſcourage men (that is the point) with their wittie flowtes and learned jerkes, enough to laſh any man out of countenance.
    • a. 1678, Isaac Barrow, “Sermon XVII. The Folly of Slander.”, in The Theological Works of Isaac Barrow, D.D. […], volume I (Containing Twenty-four Sermons on Several Occasions), Oxford, Oxfordshire: University Press, published 1830, →OCLC, paragraph 6, pages 502–503:
      The tongue is a sharp and parlous weapon, which we are bound to keep up in the sheath, or never to draw forth but advisedly, and upon just occasion; it must ever be wielded with caution and care: to brandish it wantonly, to lay about with it blindly and furiously, to slash and smite therewith any that happeth to come in our way, doth argue malice or madness.
    • 1807 December, C[harles] Lamb, “Epilogue to Time’s a Tell-tale”, in The Literary Panorama. Being a Review of Books, Magazine of Varieties, and Annual Register; [...], volume III, London: […] Cox, Son, and Baylis, […], for C. Taylor, […], published March 1808, →OCLC, article III, column 607:
      The safest way in such a parlous doubt, / Is steady watch and keep a sharp look out.
  2. Appalling, dire, terrible.
    in a parlous state
    • 1520, Thomas Worthyngton, “No. LXXV”, in William Brown, editor, Yorkshire Star Chamber Proceedings (The Yorkshire Archæological Society Record Series; LI), volume III, [Leeds, West Yorkshire]: [<span title="Printed [by]]">…] [J. Whitehead and Son] for the [Yorkshire Archaeological] Society, published 1914, →OCLC, page 178:
      All whiche offences and mysdemenors abovesaid have bene commytted to the grete hurte and undoyng of your orator, and the right evill and parlous example, [etc.]; […]
    • 1593, [Thomas] Churchyard, “A Dollfvll Discovrse of a Great Lord and a Ladie. […]”, in Chvrchyards Challenge, London: […] John Wolfe, →OCLC, page 262:
      The preſent panges and parlous thoughts, / That pearceth troubled minds: / Is knowne to none but ſuch I ſay, / That lacke of freedome finds.
    • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame. […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, […], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
      Bot[tom]. There are things in this Comedy of Piramus and Thisby, that will neuer pleaſe. Firſt, Piramus muſt draw a ſword to kill himſelfe; which the Ladys cannot abide. How anſwer you that? / Snout. Berlaken, a parlous feare.
      Bottom. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How do you answer that? / Snout. By our Lady, a dire problem.
    • c. 1619–1623, John Fletcher, “Women Pleas’d”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 25, column 1:
      Thou haſt a parlous judgement; but let that paſſe, / She is as truly vertuous, faire, and noble, / As her great Mother's good; and that's not ordinary.
    • 1622 (first performance), Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, The Changeling: […], London: […] [Thomas Newcombe] for Humphrey Moseley, […], published 1653, →OCLC, Act III, signature E2, verso:
      Isa. Y'are a parlous Fool.
      Ant. No danger in me: I bring nought but Love
    • 1975 June 5, L[ancelot] R[aymond] Adams-Schneider, “Appropriation Bill—Financial Statement”, in Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): Third Session, Thirty-seventh Parliament (House of Representatives), volume 398, Wellington: A. R. Shearer, government printer, →OCLC, page 1844:
      This is a Nero-like fiddling Budget which will frustrate and annoy people and will do nothing effective to get us out of this parlous state of near bankruptcy which the Labour Government has landed us in.
    • 2002 February 6, Carl W. Ford, Jr., “Statement by Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Carl W. Ford, Jr. before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Hearing on Current and Projected Threats to the National Security of the United States”, in Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States: Hearing before the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, Second Session, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →ISBN, page 31:
      Citizens who have endured the pain of short-term "reform" for the prospect of "gain" in the future grow impatient; incomplete or corrupted reform efforts have left many new democracies vulnerable and many new market economies in a parlous state.
    • 2014, Ben Elton, chapter 11, in Time and Time Again, London: Black Swan, Transworld Publishers, published 2015, →ISBN, page 106:
      During these suppers McCluskey's conversation centred almost exclusively around the parlous moral, cultural and environmental state of the planet.
    • 2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards Honour the Best Restoration Projects: The Chairman’s Special Award: Cholsey & Wallingford Railway”, in Rail, number 946, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 54:
      Relics of the old GWR broad gauge are rare on the national network. This overtrack canopy was one such, so the decision by the C&WR to retrieve it after electrification necessitated its demolition was a brave one, because its condition by then was parlous.
    • 2023 July 17, Rhymer Rigby, “Sick of this Conservative government? That shouldn’t stop you having Tory friends”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN:
      You can learn from them, too, even in the party’s current parlous state.
  3. (rare or obsolete, also England, dialectal) Dangerously clever or cunning; also, remarkably good or unusual.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Adverb

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parlous (not comparable)

  1. (archaic) Extremely, very.
    • 1919 August 6, Gerald Biss, “A Warning to Tourists: Shortage of Hotel Room”, in Bruce Ingram, editor, The Sketch, volume CVII, number 1384, London: Illustrated London News & Sketch, →OCLC, page 210:
      [L]ast week I had a distinctly unpleasant experience, and came parlous near qualifying as a beachcomber. [...] I cast round, trying one or two charming little hotels within reasonable radius, only to find the "house full" boards up everywhere.

References

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  1. ^ “perilǒus, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007; “parlous, adj. and adv.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2005; “parlous, adj. and adv.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

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