Friday, October 19, 2012

word of the day: infra dig

The word of the day is infra dig:

Etymology:  Colloquial abbreviation of Latin infrā dignitātem beneath (one's) dignity: the source of the expression is obscure.
Beneath one's dignity; unbecoming one's position; not consistent with dignity; undignified. (OED)


"You can be insular, too, in truth—it wouldn’t kill you to start reading and appreciating some non-S.F. There can be a philistinism within this field that is philistinely denounced as infra dig."

 - China Miéville, "Forward thinking", 4 & 11 June 2012 The New Yorker

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