She was torn between pleasure at being called a handsome creature--even though it put her strongly in mind of some outsized horse--and annoyance at his casual dismissal of her appearance...
Britannia All At Sea
Handsome. I like the word myself, feeling that it expresses sentiments similar to Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany's:
Not that I give a hoot about jewelry. Diamonds, yes. But it's tacky to wear diamonds before you're forty...
Handsome is a wonderful thing to be...but not until you're some age I haven't reached yet. My 4-year-old is tyrannical on the subject of adjectives. He is not cute. Girls are cute. Boys are handsome...and they don't even have to be forty.
Question is: What describer words do you like to use and what constraints rest on these? (ie. My husband allows himself to be called fabulous (You're a fabulous husband.) but would prefer not to 'look' fabulous.)
I'm sad that the word "gay" had changed meanings. It has such a light and happy feel, now one has to be careful using it.
ReplyDeleteI object when they say a girl has a - Good personality. I feel it's always been a euphamism for - Not so pretty.
ReplyDeleteFrom what gather (against my will but nonetheless ubiquitous when Professor van der Hertenzoon is about the house pretending to work on a DIY project) from SportsTalk radio, "good personality" is most definitely "she has no looks"--or perhaps no Brighton appeal (I get a bit fuzzy on some of the testosterone nuances).
ReplyDelete