Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb With
condescension ;superciliously
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From French du haut en bas ("from on high to low")
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Examples
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john commented on the word de haut en bas
“But--and here is what makes her so attractive to open-minded readers, and so infuriating to Movement Conservatives, who dismiss her as too blousy--she makes her point in a way that captures the humanity of its context. This isn't punditry, de haut en bas, but engagement with the reader, with the reader's milieu--with America.�?
Forbes.com, In Praise Of Peggy Noonan, by Tunku Varadarajan, October 20, 2008
October 21, 2008
sionnach commented on the word de haut en bas
Blousy?
Blowzy?
Coarse and ruddy-faced; fat and ruddy; high colored; frowzy?
Characteristic of or befitting a slut or slattern?
I wonder what Tunku is trying to say here.
October 21, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word de haut en bas
Your guess is as good as mine. I don't think Peggy Noonan is remotely either blowzy or frowzy. If the word "blousy" could mean something like "blouse-y," I could maybe see what he means... (airy?)
I disagree with Noonan a lot, but she is a slam-a$# FIIIIIINE writer. One of the best there is.
October 23, 2008
john commented on the word de haut en bas
c_b, I agree about Noonan: great writer with whom I frequently disagree. Varadarajan's piece is worth reading in full.
I presume he meant blouse-y, like her critics dismiss her as too sensitive or feminine (or not enough of an asshole) to be a serious pundit.
October 23, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word de haut en bas
I second John's recommendation of Varadarajan's article. Also, mollusque may wish to note that his last name is monovocalic.
October 23, 2008
reesetee commented on the word de haut en bas
There's another meaning for "blousy" that may apply here--coarse or rustic. Perhaps that's what the author was aiming for?
And I third the notion of Noonan as a fine writer.
October 23, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word de haut en bas
Yeah, I saw that definition too--sionnach mentioned "coarse" below also--but that doesn't seem to be what he was aiming for either. What John said made the most sense to me. Being "not enough of an asshole" is exactly what her critics would accuse her of.
October 23, 2008
mollusque commented on the word de haut en bas
Thanks, c_b!
October 23, 2008