"notorious" goes neutral

[Jonathan Lighter]

Today we went to a local production of _The Fantasticks_. The Chairman of
the Board of the theater group (in her late '30s, I'd guess) introduced
the performance by saying that it was based on a little-known play by the
"famous and notorious Edmond Rostand."

Rostand's "most notorious play was _Cyrano de Bergerac_."

No, there was not a hint of irony or playfulness in either her intonation or
her body lingo.

Note too, as a curiosity, that she described herself as "Chairman" rather
than "Chairperson."

"Notorious" thus = 'noted; celebrated.'

JL

--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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