nice-nellyism

or nice-Nel·ly·ism

[ nahys-nel-ee-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. excessive modesty; prudishness.
2. a euphemism:

   an evasive style of writing, full of circumlocutions and nice-nellyisms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nice-nellyism¹

First recorded in 1935–40; nice nelly + -ism