Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TWEE
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connect today's word to others:
Picture a chubby, singing blue bird alighting on the thin outstretched finger of a cartoon princess.
Or, picture Shirley Temple, arms akimbo, all curls and dimples, in a sailor suit.
Or, a stuffed unicorn that's so fluffy you could die.
These things are twee: disgustingly cute, nauseatingly dainty, eye-roll-inducing adorable, m__cing, or Dis___esque.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"TWEE"
In the same way that the word "tummy" came from the word "stomach," the word "twee" comes from a little kid's attempt to pronounce "sweet."
That is, if you listen to a young kid try to say "sweet," sometimes it comes out as "twee." And so, since about 1905, people have used "twee" to mean sweet, teeny-tiny, or overly adorable--often in an annoying or insincere way.
Pronunciation:
TWEE
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a twee cottage," "the movie is disgustingly twee."
Other forms:
tweely, tweeness
How to use it:
This word is informal and often negative. To call something twee is to suggest that someone tried way too hard to make it way too adorable. Or that it's so frickin' cute, it makes you ill.
Talk about twee people and personalities, twee poses and photographs, twee expressions and gestures, twee characters and stories, twee cartoons and artwork, twee shows and movies, twee songs and music, twee products and advertisements, twee sayings and comments, etc.
examples:
Poking fun at Hallmark's twee Christmas movies, Keaton Patti posted a bot-produced script of his own, starring a single mother yearning for love, taking place in a "small town snow globe refillery," and involving, to my bafflement, bones "gift wrapped in eggnog."
"Rebecca Black... has re-emerged on Cameo, where she seems to have found her calling. Now 21... she appears winkingly gracious to her 'fans' for listening to 'Friday' then performs a twee ukulele version."
— Amanda Hess, The New York Times, 1 August 2018
has this page helped you understand "twee"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "twee" without saying "prim" or "sugar-sweet."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Some book, show, movie, actor, song, album, or singer) might get dismissed as twee for (his, her, or its) _____."
Example: "'Strawberry Wine' might get dismissed as twee for its music video, all hazy with bare feet, wide eyes with hair falling over one, summer grass, fields of flowers, and front porch rocking chairs."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Quintessential TV Quotes!
Each day, match the given vocabulary word to the quote that best illustrates it.
From the previous issue:
From The Middle, which quote below illustrates a quintessence?
Quote A:
Brick: I smell cooking. Is Grandma here?
Quote B:
Frankie: I want family in this house, Mike. Otherwise it's not Thanksgiving. It's just overeating!
Quote C:
Mike: You want a car? You're gonna have to work for it and earn it yourself.
Axl: Yeah...uh...I had a job. It sucked, but I still want a car, so you see my dilemma.
Mike: Well, you know, I have a job and a car, so you see the connection.
Answer: In quote B, Frankie suggests that family togetherness is the quintessence of Thanksgiving.
Try this one today:
From Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which quote below illustrates braggadocio?
Quote A:
Ignignokt: You and your "third dimension."
Frylock: Yeah? What about it?
Ignignokt: Oh, nothing. It's cute. We have five.
Err: Th-thousand.
Ignignokt: Yes, five thousand.
Quote B:
Meatwad: Science is a mystery to man, isn't it, Frylock?
Frylock: Yeah, it sure is, Meatwad...
Meatwad: Like how we all evolved from the ancient dinosaur. I wish I had some of their stuff, boy. Like them tail. Them tails that make 'em fly.
Quote C:
Frylock (reading): The curse of the mummy is just a figure of speech. ... The real curse of the mummy is that he is completely socially inept, devoid of all manners, gold-digging, manipulative, and a selfish brat. Don't ever wake him unless you have a lot of time and money on your hands. Thank you for buying Mummies for Dummies.
review today's word:
1. A near opposite of TWEE is
A. CRUDE.
B. MUSICAL.
C. THOUGHTFUL.
2. David Shariatmadari describes Andy Warhol's commercial drawings as "frequently twee, conjuring _____."
A. pops of bright yellows and reds
B. cherubs, unicorns and golden slippers
C. soup cans and the narrow-eyed glare of James Dean
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
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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.
Picture a chubby, singing blue bird alighting on the thin outstretched finger of a cartoon princess.
"TWEE" In the same way that the word "tummy" came from the word "stomach," the word "twee" comes from a little kid's attempt to pronounce "sweet."
Poking fun at Hallmark's twee Christmas movies, Keaton Patti posted a bot-produced script of his own, starring a single mother yearning for love, taking place in a "small town snow globe refillery," and involving, to my bafflement, bones "gift wrapped in eggnog."
Explain the meaning of "twee" without saying "prim" or "sugar-sweet."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some book, show, movie, actor, song, album, or singer) might get dismissed as twee for (his, her, or its) _____."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of TWEE is
|