Word: fluff
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Although he is now unable to perceive and describe familiar moment in modern life, Joel apparently has perceived his own slide into sweet-sounding fluff, and on The Nylon Curtain he desperately tries to do something about it. In a last-gasp attempt to attain relevance, he sings about Issues: you know, Unemployment, Social Pressure, Viet Nam, and, of course, Sesame Street. Instead of seizing an elevated song-writing status. Joel glaringly reveals his own detachment from the emotions and situations he describes to others...
...unless Axinn begins to deal more seriously with questions instead of pictures, his poetry will become pure fluff. It will remain superficially interesting but lose its challenge. Tricks run out easily, and after all, almost anyone can look at a seagull...
Books everywhere are falling apart. Acids in the ink and the pulp devour the pages. The paper crumbles, powdered words in a few generations will blow away like dandelion fluff. Some computer-literate great-grandchild will hold the empty, mortal binding in his hands as if it were Yorick's skull...
What is a woman? A "petticoat, skirt, moll, broad," according to one recent U.S. edition of Roget's Thesaurus. Also "the fair sex, girlie, distaff side, Venus, nymph, wench, grisette and bit of fluff." Such archaisms have a kind of antique charm for veteran Rogetophiles, but new times demand new stereotypes. Accordingly, the British publishing firm of Longman advertised in the London Times Educational Supplement for an editor to update its standard 1962 version of Roget's. The result, out last month after more than three years of work, brought some shocked reviews. Cried the London Sunday Times...
...might suppress, McCormack looked up "woman" in his desktop U.S. edition. "Ah hah," he said, "here's 'broad.' I'd want to get that out. And 'wench.' And here's one that's out of the question - 'bit of fluff.' " But what does Lloyd's new British edition actually include as synonyms for woman? "Career woman," for one. And "Ms." And "women's libber." But also "broad, wench, moll, crumpet, nymph, damsel, dowager, lass, petticoat" and - heavens to Betsy! - "bit of fluff...