flowery
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈflaʊəɹi/
rhymes: -aʊəɹi
homophone: floury stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: floweries
form: flow'ry
Etymology: From Middle English floury, equivalent to flower + -y (adjectival suffix). Piecewise doublet of floury.
Senses: examples: text: Now the revolutionaries-the Commies, Ban the Bomb floweries, Hippies, Wierdies with Beardies, Aldermaston Marchers, IRA, Anarchists- are in the driving seat.
ref: 2004 January 13, DaveK, “All We have To Do To Lose Our Freedom Is Nothing.”, in uk.legal (Usenet), archived from the original on 17 Aug 2025:
text: I think those who happened to end up in the department of 'Critical Method' are a bunch of 'flowery' people who have absolutely NO clue of what Marxism has to say in this regard. […] Marxism has NOTHING to do with what the extremist leftists or rightists or floweries are doing/saying.
ref: 2006 January 31, fyfpoon@gmail.com, “Enthralled by Cultural Marxism”, in aus.politics (Usenet), archived from the original on 17 Aug 2025:
text: He took a small bite, spit it out nearly immediately, dropped the spoon back in the bowl, and pushed it away. After seeing Jeff’s reaction, Baldwin pushed his untouched bowl toward the center of the table. “Heh, heh, heh, what a couple of floweries,” Dave said, food spraying as he shoveled it into his mouth.
ref: 2012, Gary Hoover, chapter 17, in Land of Nod, The Prophet, AMH Press, →ISBN, page 61:
glosses: Someone or something considered flowery.
A flowery person.
examples: text: “I am glad to find I have such an eloquent junior,” said he, shaking hands with me. “Just leave me the law and the arguments, and do you take the floweries.” / […] “I am afraid, Magee,” said I, “that neither your law nor my ‘floweries,’ as you call them, will be of much use here. The game is up.” / “Nonsense, man—the game is never up till the verdict is given. Everything depends on the jury. […] And of course we can have a strong alibi or two—eh?”
ref: 1895, Jack Westropp [pseudonym], “In Which My Appearance Causes the Sovereign Demos to Arise in Its Might”, in Jack Westropp: An Autobiography […], volume II, London: Downey & Co. […], →OCLC, pages 105–106:
text: It was well done up to that point -- apart from a few sneaky attacks of the floweries.
ref: 2002 March 12, Anopheles, “(Story) The Lord Of Miss Rule (5,093 words)”, in alt.fiction.original (Usenet), archived from the original on 17 Aug 2025:
text: i look forward to the day when someone can just give me feedback without any affirming touchy feely floweries and i can just take the feedback and not take the absence of the floweries as a "By the way, i despise you".
ref: 2008 November 5, Emerging Butterfly, “nothing really”, in alt.support.dissociation (Usenet), archived from the original on 17 Aug 2025:
glosses: Someone or something considered flowery.
A flowery phrase or statement.
examples: text: [H]e gave it in charge to the Goldſmiths that were moſt ingenious, and of beſt capacity, to finſh and accompliſh the Buſineſs, engraven and adorned with all poſſible Variety: commanding that thoſe who wrought in the Borders, Raiſings, Floweries, Wrappings, Entortilations, and ſuch like; ſhould amuſe themſelves only for Beautifying and Decoration: […]
ref: 1685, Aristeus, translated by John Done, “Of the Presents Sent unto Eleazer, Chief Priest of the Jews, by King Ptolomeus Philadelphus. And First of the Table of Gold.”, in The Ancient History of the Septuagint. […], revised edition, London: […] W[illiam] Hensman, and Tho[mas] Fox, […], →OCLC, pages 34–35:
text: ‘’Aven’t they got no floweries ’ere?’ he asked, looking round at the row of beds. ‘This is like a bleedin’ lodgin’ ’ouse—or like the bleedin’ snotty orphans.’
ref: 1958, Brendan Behan, part 2, in Borstal Boy, London: Hutchinson & Co., →OCLC, page 143:
text: ‘Oh, you do be taking hoff them floweries,’ a voice would say suddenly behind him. / ‘Don’t you wish you was an artisty, Joe? Naught to do all day but sit on yer arse.’
ref: 1968, Godfrey Blunden, “On the Consequences of Being Neaped”, in Charco Harbour […], New York, N.Y.: Vanguard Press, →ISBN, page 262:
glosses: Someone or something considered flowery.
A flowery decoration.