October 17 2011

Word of the Week: Panglossian

PANGLOSSIAN (pan-GLAW-see-en) – unshakably optimistic [Derived from Pangloss, a character in Voltaire’s Candide who sees the bright side in every hardship] The Panglossian Australian leaves on the porch light for Harold Holt.

Comments

RobT — 17 October at 05:22AM

Has "Rose Colored Glasses" played in plainsong.

RobT — 17 October at 06:21AM

Distress hurt fish: glass half full.

RM — 17 October at 06:50AM

@RobT: Should that be "... played *as* plainsong"?

RM — 17 October at 06:58AM

Never original, hard slog taken by quiet oriental living in the best of all possible worlds

SK — 17 October at 07:30AM

Criticize Sheen in a review of "The Subject Was Roses"

RobT — 17 October at 08:08AM

Anal pong is surely heading for distribution: "better out than in", I always say.

RobT — 17 October at 08:09AM

Anal pong is surely heading for distribution: "better out than in", I always say, despite the stench.

RobT — 17 October at 08:10AM

Yes RM. 5am taxi trip grrr.

Criseyde — 17 October at 08:27AM

Lin played pianos and sang like Pollyanna.

Criseyde — 17 October at 09:09AM

Looking on the bright side, Ian finally came to put down the disguise.

Em — 17 October at 09:40AM

Happy passing loan application?

Moment of pain and defeat; Ian is positive anyway

Criseyde — 17 October at 09:48AM

EM, I like them .. no really :)

SK — 17 October at 11:40AM

@EM, love your loan application.

Peter (not Matt) and Ian like Pollyanna

Em — 17 October at 12:03PM

Thanks Criseyde and SK! Criseyde, apologies for using Ian when you already had. He's just such an optimistic guy!

Em — 17 October at 12:09PM

Tweak to my second one:

Moment of pain and defeat: Thorpe was positive anyway

And SK, I like your 11.40 - after I figured out who 'Matt Gloss' was. Der kick der.

Boniface — 17 October at 01:20PM

Englishmen in Spain - drunk and in good cheer (11)

Criseyde — 17 October at 03:24PM

Beat me to it, Boniface. That's good.

My backup plan:

Cheery by nature, the Welsh girl surpassed the quiet English folk.

Criseyde — 17 October at 03:39PM

tweak:
Cheery by nature, the Welsh girl outdid the quiet English.

JPR — 17 October at 08:11PM

i thought he wasnt so much optimistic as deceitfully/manipulatively insisting on denial/neglect of anything undesireably 'wrong', ie a bit more like Stepford Wives, Truman Show, lotus-eaters blandishments. or like the singing in th pub scene in Educating Rita. but its a long time since i read it . must write a smart clue...

JPR — 17 October at 08:38PM

Long, piss-awful (takes one in) ... and endlessly upbeat

JPR — 17 October at 09:21PM

Glass piano composition starts normally -- that's hopeful!

DA — 18 October at 06:39AM

Three crackers this week - or so far at least, and very hard to split.

Bon's ANGLOS is a canny hybrid of container and anagram, with a brilliant Costa del Sol surface.

Em's LOAN is killer. Your best cryptic clue on record, I'm thinking. (And you've crafted some jewels.)

Only to be matched by JPR's latish entry, the Philip Glass dig. Delicious.

All this talk of optimism has buoyed the quality an extra notch. A riot of ideas.

JPR — 18 October at 09:25AM

thanks DA -- here's another idea:

Dogmatically upbeat we hear, "No greater land" starts fictional writer

Em — 19 October at 10:24AM

Thanks DA! I wasn't sure you'd accept 'application' as an anagrind.

Boniface — 19 October at 11:48AM

Wot, Englishmen drunk in Spain? A coincidence surely! Ta, DA.

DA — 19 October at 11:56AM

A poetic tweak:

Brits in Spain, blurrily seeing through glass half-full? (11)