grundyism — 1836, from Mrs. Grundy, prudish character in Thomas Morton s 1798 play Speed the Plow, play and playwright otherwise now forgotten, but the line What would Mrs. Grundy say? became proverbial … Etymology dictionary
Grundy — [grun′dē] n. Mrs. [a neighbor repeatedly referred to (but never appearing) in Tom Morton s play Speed the Plough (1798) with the question “What will Mrs. Grundy say?”] a personification of conventional social disapproval, prudishness, narrow… … English World dictionary
grundyism — [19] The term grundyism ‘prudishness’ was based on Mrs Grundy, a character in Thomas Moreton’s play Speed the Plough 1798 who became proverbial for her extreme rigidity in matters of sexual morality. Dame Ashfield, another character in the play,… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
grundyism — [19] The term grundyism ‘prudishness’ was based on Mrs Grundy, a character in Thomas Moreton’s play Speed the Plough 1798 who became proverbial for her extreme rigidity in matters of sexual morality. Dame Ashfield, another character in the play,… … Word origins
Grundyism — noun excessive or affected modesty • Syn: ↑primness, ↑prudishness, ↑prudery • Derivationally related forms: ↑prudish (for: ↑prudishness), ↑prim ( … Useful english dictionary
grundy — n. (pl. ies) (in full Mrs Grundy) a person embodying conventional propriety and prudery. Derivatives: Grundyism n. Etymology: a person repeatedly mentioned in T. Morton s comedy Speed the Plough (1798) … Useful english dictionary
Grundyism — /grun dee iz euhm/, n. 1. a prudish adherence to conventionality, esp. in personal behavior. 2. (l.c.) an instance of such prudishness. [1830 40; GRUNDY + ISM] * * * … Universalium
Grundyism — /ˈgrʌndiɪzəm/ (say grundeeizuhm) noun prudery; narrow mindedness; excessive attachment to conventional behaviour. {after Mrs Grundy, a person mentioned in Thomas Morton s play Speed the Plough (1798) …
Mrs Grundy — For the Archie Comics character, see Miss Grundy. Mrs Grundy is the name of an imaginary English character, who typifies the disciplinary control of the conventional proprieties of society over conduct, the tyrannical pressure of the opinion of… … Wikipedia
Mother Grundy — is an etiological myth referring to a mountain, the Madre Grande .[1] Myth refers to a woman who is literally as old as the hills who came from this mountain, clinging to the old ways when the original inhabitants of Mexico and California lived… … Wikipedia
