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

Example Sentences

In fact, gobbledygook and nice-Nellyism still extend as far as the ear can hear.

From Time Magazine Archive

Partridge clears Charles Dickens of all responsibility for the expression "go to the dickens," a Victorian nice-nellyism for "go to the devil."

From Time Magazine Archive

Timmons insists that the expletive the reporters thought they heard was merely a nice-Nellyism from his Nebraska days: "Helen Maria!"

From Time Magazine Archive

Within two months of this Nice-Nellyism, the song's sale rose to 50,000 copies.

From Time Magazine Archive