medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Jim Bugslag <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>...I can't help thinking that such "popular" religious practices have, to a
too great extent, been written out of medieval religion, largely by the early
modern clerical establishment, who were concerned to "purify" the church of
such "superstitions" -- that is undoubtedly germane to the origins of the
rather demeaning term "tawdry"
the OED confirms that the noun becomes an adjective in the 17th c.
tawdry
tawdry to(hook).dri, sb. and a. Also 6 tauthrie, tawdrie (see next); 7
taudrey, tawdery, 7-8 taudry. [As sb. short for tawdry lace, q.v.; hence
referring to the showy but cheap quality of these in the 17th century. ]
A. sb.
[obsolete sense]
1. Short for tawdry lace. Obs.
1612 Drayton Poly-olb. ii. 46 Of which the Naides, and the blew Nereïdes make
Them Taudries for their necks;
1612 Drayton Poly-olb. iv. 50 Not the smallest Beck But with white Pebles
makes her Taudries for her neck.
2. Cheap and pretentious finery.
A. 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) I. 223 Applaud th' outsides of Words, but never
mind, With what fantastic tawdery th'are lin'd.
1747 Richardson Clarissa (1811) II. xx. 139 Only for the sake of having a
little more tawdry upon his housings.
1831 Examiner 390/1 A dress circle!..look at the tawdry and the ennui!
1867 Smiles Huguenots Eng. (1880) 349 A poor bedizened creature, clad in
tawdry.
B. adj.
1. Of the nature of cheap finery; showy or gaudy without real value.
1676 Etheredge Man of Mode ii. ii, A Woman that Can doat on a senseless Caper,
a Tawdry French Riband, and a Formal Cravat.
1686 Burnet Lett. (1708) 288 A Tawdry Imbroidery of Gold and Silver.
1711 Steele Spect. No. 80 P3 A gay West Indian, who appeared in all the
Colours which can affect an Eye that could not distinguish between being fine
and taudry.
1805 Repton Landscape Gard. 160 The lavish profusion of tawdry embellishment.
1859 Jephson Brittany ii. 14 The high altar is wretchedly tawdry.
[obsolete sense]
b. Untidy; slovenly; ungraceful. Obs. rare.
1671 Grew Anat. Plants v. Sect.3 A Flower without its Empalement, would hang
as uncouth and taudry, as a Lady without her Bodies.
C. 1820 Joanna Baillie Summer's Day 83 His awkward..lad, Who trails his tawdry
armful [of hay] o'er the field.
2. transf. Of persons or their condition: Tawdrily dressed or decked out;
cheaply adorned.
1676 Wycherley Pl. Dealer v. i, Taudry affected Rogues, well drest.
1706 Phillips (ed. 6), Taudry or Tawdry,..tricked up with such tinsel Stuff,
or Lace as is usually sold at Audery-Fair in Cambridge-shire.
1851 Helps Comp. Solit. vii. (1874) 133 Like one of those tawdry girls who
pass by me.
1862 Miss Braddon Lady Audley xxvii, An aspect of genteel desolation and
tawdry misery not easily to be parallelled in wretchedness.
3. fig. esp. of style, diction, etc.; hence of a speaker or writer: Trumpery.
1696 R. L'Estrange Seneca's Mor. (ed. 6) Afterth. 12 With-out forcing the
Design of the Author, or intermixing any Tawdry Flowrishes by the By.
A. 1718 Penn Maxims Sect.126. Wks. 1726 I. 850 'Tis but Taudry Talk, and next
to very Trash.
1764 Goldsm. Traveller Ded., Him they dignify with the name of poet: his
tawdry lampoons are called satires.
1808 Scott Let. to Lady L. Stuart 19 Jan. in Lockhart, His language is too
flowery and even tawdry.
c
"Even the Smallest Dog
Can lift his Leg
On the Tallest Building"
"I saw on a pickup truck last year in Austin. It said, 'Where are we going?
And what am I doing in this hand basket?'"
--Jim Hightower
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