Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 09:41:37 -0500
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Sender: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
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From: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Subject: twee: M-W's Word of the Day
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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 6 is:
twee \TWEE\ (adjective)
{chiefly British} : affectedly or excessively dainty,
delicate, cute, or quaint
Example sentence:
Thatched-roof birdhouses with posies in the windows are a bit
too twee for Annalese, who doesn't go in much for cutesiness.
Did you know?
Most adults wouldn't be caught dead saying, "Oh, look at the
'tweet 'ittle birdie!" (at least not to anyone over the age
of three), but they probably wouldn't be averse to saying,
"He went fishing with his Dad," "She works as a nanny," or
"Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Anyone who uses "dad,"
"nanny," or "buddy" owes a debt to "baby talk," a term used
for both the childish speech adults adopt when addressing
youngsters and for the speech of small children who are just
learning to talk. "Twee" also originated in baby talk, as
an alteration of "sweet." In the early 1900s, it was a term
of affection, but nowadays British speakers use "twee" frr
things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm
of cloying.
-Chris
