nice-nellyism

American

[nahys-nel-ee-iz-uhm] / ˈnaɪsˈnɛl iˌɪz əm /

Or nice-Nellyism

noun

excessive modesty; prudishness.
a euphemism.

an evasive style of writing, full of circumlocutions and nice-nellyisms.

Etymology

Origin of nice-nellyism

First recorded in 1935–40; nice nelly + -ism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

nice-nellyism

Partridge clears Charles Dickens of all responsibility for the expression "go to the dickens," a Victorian nice-nellyism for "go to the devil."

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023