January 2010

Notable & Quotable: Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf was born January 25, 1882. The British essayist, novelist, critic, and publisher is remembered for her feminist classic A Room of One's Own, her participation in the influential Bloomsbury Group, and – by lexicographers – for her lively and apt way with words.

Interested in words used as illustrations by another writer? Select either the Unabridged or the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type the last name in the Author Quoted box, then click on Search.

conglomerate verb
"numbers of dull people conglomerated round her"

jolt verb
"crudely jolted out of the mood"

limited adjective
"a bit limited; a bit thick in the head"

niggle verb
"she haggles, she niggles, she wears out our patience"

simple noun
"thought very little of anybody, simples or gentry"

suck verb
"flanks sucked in and out, the long nose resting on his paws"

wiredrawn adjective
"curious speculations, wiredrawn comparisons, obsolete erudition"


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