blowzy

[Jonathan Lighter]

Am forced to agree about "timeless."

Not sure about "out there."  It often means "wildly eccentric; deranged,"
but that doesn't seem to be Obama's style.

Context suggests "blowzy" means "unfocused" or something similar.

At least in this guy's mind.

JL

On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 11:16 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: blowzy
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 1/20/2013 09:13 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >A bald-pated academic with rimless glasses and a measured, Ivy League
> >manner tells Candy Crowley that he hopes Obama's Inaugural speech "won't
> be
> >blowzy, out there, and timeless."
> >
> >I know it's early, but what the hell is he talking about?
>
> Just checking on "blowzy", the OED's quotation for " 3. Coarse,
> rustic" is amusing:
>
> 1851   A. Helps Compan. Solitude (1874) v. 64,   I cannot fancy the
> blowsy wisdom of the country.
>
> Perhaps by "[not] timeless" the pedant hopes it's unlike some others
> of Obama's speeches, and is short.
>
> Joel
>
>
> >JL
> >
> >--
> >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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