| Front | Mrs. Grundy \MISS-uz-GRUN-dee\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun One marked by prudish conventionality in personal conduct. ["What would Mrs. Grundy say?" Dame Ashfield, a character in Thomas Morton's 1798 play Speed the Plough, was continually asking that question and worrying about invoking the sneering condemnation of her prudish neighbor, Mrs. Grundy. Although Mrs. Grundy never actually appeared on stage during the play, her critical attitude exerted a significant influence on the actions of other characters, and ultimately on the English language. By 1813, English speakers had adopted her name as a byword for anyone with extremely rigid standards of propriety that he or she applied in judging the actions of others.] "As the author sits at the bullring reflecting on the mysteries of the corrida, he gets to talking with an old lady, a Mrs Grundy or Mme Salieri, the spirit of respectable gentility doing her best with a challenging new experience." - David Thomson, Arts : Moving Pictures, Independent on Sunday, 17 Nov 1996. |
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