Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PODSNAPPIAN
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pronounce
PODSNAPPIAN:
Say it "pod SNAP ee yun."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
The wacky word Podsnappian comes from a character in a Charles Dickens story. So do these two words:
1. A Mi____er is a person who's dreamy and optimistic but too lazy and irresponsible to succeed. "Something will turn up," this person always says.
2. A Gr____ind is a person who's cold, hard, overbearing, and way too focused on facts, especially numbers. "A man of realities. A man of facts and calculations... ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature, and tell you exactly what it comes to."
Oh, one more thing before we explore today's word! The Dickens story with Mr. Podsnap in it also has a Mr. and Mrs. Veneering. Any guesses what their lifestyle is like?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
In the 1865 novel Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens, John Podsnap is a rich guy, very privileged, always overly pleased with himself and stupidly unaware of how hard life is for most people. His name, Podsnap, sounds ugly and seems (to me) to suggest someone snatching or gobbling up food that's readily available, totally unaware that other people might be hungry.
Here's Dickens:
"Mr Podsnap was well to do, and stood very high in Mr Podsnap's opinion. Beginning with a good inheritance, he had married a good inheritance, and had thriven exceedingly in the Marine Insurance way, and was quite satisfied. He never could make out why everybody was not quite satisfied, and he felt conscious that he set a brilliant social example in being particularly well satisfied with most things, and, above all other things, with himself."
Thanks to the novel's popularity, almost immediately after it was published, we started referring to people as Podsnaps if they're tucked away in their safe little worlds of luxury and privilege, not even trying to understand how life is hard for most people.
That kind of attitude or behavior, we call Podsnappery. Dickens coined that noun in the same novel, where he used it in phrases like "the depths and shallows of Podsnappery," "the children of Podsnappery," and "the Gospel according to Podsnappery."
And the adjective is "Podsnappian." Podsnappian people and things are smug and self-satisfied in their wealth and privilege, and totally unwilling to help or even notice people who have to work hard and struggle through life.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective, the proper kind, so you always capitalize it: "this Podsnappian jerk;" "their complacency is absolutely Podsnappian."
Other forms:
Podsnap(s), Podsnappery.
how to use it:
This word is rare and literary, with a harsh, judgmental tone. If you use it, it's probably because you're slamming someone for perpetuating inequality.
You might talk about Podsnappian people, views, attitudes, ignorance, complacency, or insularity.
You'll want to make sure that your context clarifies what this word means, since many of your listeners will be unfamiliar with it. Luckily, the sound of the word itself conveys the ugliness and harshness of its meaning.
examples:
"With Podsnappian dislike of improprieties, they demand that the very existence of this class of crimes should be ignored in fiction as well as in every-day life."
— W. L. Alden, Galaxy, 1866
"What Mr. Dickens calls Podsnappery is rampant and rife in London, and I think this Podsnappery we ought to make a great effort to put down."
— Winston Churchill, Lord Randolph Churchill, 1906
has this page helped you understand "Podsnappian"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "Podsnappian" without saying "smug plutocrat" or "oblivious wealthy person."
try it out:
Dickens must have enjoyed writing about Mr. Podsnap. You just love to hate him:
"There was a dignified conclusiveness—not to add a grand convenience—in this way of getting rid of disagreeables which had done much towards establishing Mr Podsnap in his lofty place in Mr Podsnap's satisfaction. 'I don't want to know about it; I don't choose to discuss it; I don't admit it!’ Mr Podsnap had even acquired a peculiar flourish of his right arm in often clearing the world of its most difficult problems, by sweeping them behind him (and consequently sheer away) with those words and a flushed face. For they affronted him."
With this arm-flourish in mind, fill in the blanks: "With a Podsnappian wave, (someone or something) dismissed (some issue, problem, or concern)."
Example 1: "With a Podsnappian wave, the McBudget dismissed the question of how to afford even a one-bedroom apartment on $8.25 an hour."
Example 2: "Sir Asher dismissed the subject with a Podsnappian wave of the hand. 'This is all a waste of breath.'"
— Israel Zangwill, Ghetto Comedies, 1907
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Serious Words, Silliest Names."
Match each word to the silly name it evokes. For example, match "pecuniary" to Owen Cash, "hoodwink" to Howie Cheatham, and "debacle" to Oliver Sutton.
To see the answers, scroll all the way down. Enjoy!
Try these today:
ANACHRONISTIC: _____
DIAMETRIC: _____
FAINEANT: _____
INTREPID: _____
PATINA: _____
Anita Job
Darren Deeds
Dinah Soares
Rusty Irons
Warren Peace
review this word:
A. PAINFULLY SHY.
B. SOCIALLY JUST.
C. CLASSICALLY GLAMOROUS.
2.
J. C. Walters wrote, "Podsnappery stands for the perpetuation of all that is _____."
A. wrong, slow, frustrating, and bureaucratic
B. wrong, slow, old-fashioned, and unprogressive
C. wrong, slow, inflexible, and doomed to extinction
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
The wacky word Podsnappian comes from a character in a Charles Dickens story. So do these two words:
In the 1865 novel Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens, John Podsnap is a rich guy, very privileged, always overly pleased with himself and stupidly unaware of how hard life is for most people. His name, Podsnap, sounds ugly and seems (to me) to suggest someone snatching or gobbling up food that's readily available, totally unaware that other people might be hungry.
Part of speech:
This word is rare and literary, with a harsh, judgmental tone. If you use it, it's probably because you're slamming someone for perpetuating inequality.
"With Podsnappian dislike of improprieties, they demand that the very existence of this class of crimes should be ignored in fiction as well as in every-day life."
Explain the meaning of "Podsnappian" without saying "smug plutocrat" or "oblivious wealthy person."
Dickens must have enjoyed writing about Mr. Podsnap. You just love to hate him:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |