Some Misused Words.
unparliamentary word is not necessarily a misused word, although you may misuse a political opponent with unparliamentary language. The offending wqrd may be what the French call “ le mot juste,” and every man should be encouraged, within the bounds of good taste and decency, to say what is in his mind. The convention that insists on transforming everything into Parliamentary language is a bar to forceful expression. If a man knows that the word “ mean ” is unparliamentary, he casts round for a euphemism, and perhaps lights on “ shabby,” which falls short of his meaning, but passes muster as Parliamentary. The same may be said of “ contemptible. The word “vile” would not suit, and so it is watered down to “ insignificant ” or “ unworthy of regard.” There is a good deal to be said for unparliamentary language. TOUCHSTONE.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS19320318.2.84
Bibliographic details
Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 376, 18 March 1932, Page 6
Word Count
139Some Misused Words. Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 376, 18 March 1932, Page 6
Using This Item
Star Media Company Ltd is the copyright owner for the Star (Christchurch). You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Star Media. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in