Thursday, July 21, 2016

Tru'mpery makes its second appearance as the TBL word of the day

I know I've posted a definition of the word of the year here once before, but this morning I ran across the word in the book I'm currently reading. I couldn't resist ripping a facsimile definition from Samuel Johnson's great 18th-century dictionary in honor of the man who will be speaking at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland tonight.

TRU'MPERY. n. [tromperie, French, a cheat.]
1. Something fallaciously splendid ; something of less value than it seems.

   The trumpery in my house bring hither, For state to catch these thieves. Shaksp. Tempest.

2. Falsehood ; empty talk.
   Breaking into parts the story of the creation, and delivering it over in a mystical sense, wrapping it up mixed with other their own trumpery, they have fought to obscure the truth thereof.  Raleigh's History of the World.
3. Something of no value ; trifles.
   Embrios and idiots, eremits and friars, White, black, and grey, with all their trumpery. Milton.
   Another cavity of the head was stuffed with billetdoux, pricked dances, and other trumpery of the same nature. Addison.

Excuse the fact that I'm repeating myself on this blog, but I love the way that all three definitions fit different facets of Donald J. Trump on this big, this YUGE, night of his.

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