Who coined the word 'tushery'?

It was coined by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson to mock a certain style of historical writing he disliked.

Is 'tushery' a common word today?

No, it is a rare, niche term used almost exclusively in literary analysis and criticism.

Can 'tushery' refer to speech, or only writing?

While coined for literary style, it can be applied to any affectedly archaic use of language, including speech (e.g., in bad historical dramas).

What is a modern example of 'tushery'?

A fantasy video game where characters speak in a forced, pseudo-medieval manner full of 'milords' and 'mayhaps' without stylistic justification could be called tushery.

tushery

UK/ˈtʌʃəri/US/ˈtʌʃəri/

Literary criticism, academic

My Flashcards

Definition

Meaning

A type of affected, archaic literary style, especially one using pseudo-medieval language.

Writing or speech characterized by excessive, artificial, and affected archaism; pretentious or bombastic language. Can be used disparagingly for any overly ornate, inauthentic literary affectation.

Linguistics

Semantic Notes

The term is almost exclusively used in a negative or pejorative sense to critique a writer's style. It implies a lack of authenticity and a cloying, forced attempt to sound antique.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

Both varieties recognize the term, but it may appear slightly more frequently in British literary criticism, given its coining by a Scottish author (Robert Louis Stevenson). No significant difference in meaning.

Connotations

Strongly negative in both. Suggests poor taste, artificiality, and literary failure.

Frequency

Very low frequency in both; a highly specialized literary term.

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong

pretentious tusherymedieval tusheryliterary tushery

medium

Victorian tusheryromantic tusherydismiss as tushery

weak

full of tusherylapse into tusheryavoid tushery

Grammar

Valency Patterns

Ndismiss X as tusherybe accused of tushery

Vocabulary

Synonyms

Strong

bombastpurple prosegrandiloquence

Neutral

affectationarchaism

Weak

ornamentationflourish

Vocabulary

Antonyms

plain stylenaturalismrealismverisimilitude

Phrases

Idioms & Phrases

“tushery and tinsel”

Usage

Context Usage

Business

Virtually never used.

Academic

Used in literary criticism and historical analyses of prose style.

Everyday

Almost never used.

Technical

A specific term in stylistics and literary analysis.

Examples

By Part of Speech

verb

British English

The novelist was accused of tushering up his dialogue to sound more historical.

American English

The script tushers every line with needless 'thees' and 'thous'.

adjective

British English

The play's tushery dialogue made it difficult to take seriously.

American English

He rejected the tushery approach to historical fiction.

Examples

By CEFR Level

Some fantasy novels are criticised for their tushery, using too many old-fashioned words.

The literary critic dismissed the popular historical romance as mere tushery, full of artificial 'prithees' and 'forsooths' designed to mask weak characterisation.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think of someone saying "Tush, tush!" in a fake old-fashioned way; their speech is pure 'tushery'.

Conceptual Metaphor

AUTHENTICITY IS CLEAN/NATURAL; INAUTHENTICITY IS DIRTY/ARTIFICIAL (The '-ery' suffix can imply a mass of something undesirable).

Watch out

Common Pitfalls

Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)

Do not confuse with 'тушь' (ink). The word has no direct Russian equivalent; translate descriptively as 'напыщенный архаизм', 'фальшивый старинный стиль'.

Common Mistakes

Misspelling as 'tushary' or 'tusshery'.
Using it to mean simply 'old-fashioned language' without the pejorative sense of affectation.

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap

The reviewer panned the film's script, calling its pseudo-Shakespearean dialogue nothing but empty .

Multiple Choice

What does 'tushery' primarily criticise?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

: It was coined by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson to mock a certain style of historical writing he disliked.
: No, it is a rare, niche term used almost exclusively in literary analysis and criticism.
: While coined for literary style, it can be applied to any affectedly archaic use of language, including speech (e.g., in bad historical dramas).
: A fantasy video game where characters speak in a forced, pseudo-medieval manner full of 'milords' and 'mayhaps' without stylistic justification could be called tushery.