pecksniffian PRONUNCIATION: (pek-SNIF-ee-uhn) MEANING: adjective: Pretending to have high moral principles; sanctimonious, hypocritical. ETYMOLOGY: After Seth Pecksniff, a character in Charles Dickenss novel Martin Chuzzlewit. Earliest documented use: 1844. NOTES: Charles Dickens describes Pecksniff like this: Some people likened him to a direction-post, which is always telling the way to a place, and never goes there. USAGE: She said, Davis, stop being such a Pecksniffian stuffed shirt. Jay Inman; Sunigin; WestBow Press; 2012. In the meantime, the pecksniffian French consul was feigning indignation. Bob Stockton; Fighting Bob; AuthorHouse; 2011.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 12:44:45 +0000
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