Bluenoses

/ˈbluːnoʊzɪz/ noun

Definition

Plural of bluenose; multiple people who are prudish or excessively strict about morality.

Etymology

Plural form of bluenose (bluenose + -es), maintaining the same historical evolution from geographic term to moral descriptor.

Kelly Says

The plural form reminds us that Victorian society loved identifying and categorizing 'bluenoses' as a distinct social type—there were enough of them that people developed specific vocabulary to discuss them as a group.

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