Friday, October 07, 2005

A Definition for Curmudgeonhood

Cur-mud-geon [origin unknown]

1. archaic: a crusty, ill-tempered, churlish old man.

2. modern: anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner.

Taken from Jon Winokur, The Portable Curmudgeon (New York: NAL Books, 1987).

Comment: (1) should be avoided; (2) should be embraced by those who can withstand it.

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