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Middlemarch vocabulary
551 vocabulary words, including people, places, music, artists, etc.
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philistine
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synonyms: yahoo, bourgeois ???
► definition
Definition:one who is indifferent to art and culture; an uncultured boor. The word is an eponym which stems from inhabitants of coastal Palestine who were enemies with the Israelites, as described in the old testament.
► uses
Uses:
Hyacinth: [on phone] ...and I need some tips on art appreciation. [pauses to listen] Well yes, of course I appreciate it—as my son Sheridan will testify. I don't care for the modern rubbish, but I do like a frame that doesn't gather dust.... hello? .... [line goes dead. annoyed, Hyacinth hangs up] philistines!
BBC. Keeping Up Appearances: The Art Exhibition (1992)
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Another singular part of this singular story is, that the Philistines constructed six golden mice to accompany the ark; and yet we are told that the Jews were not allowed to have images of any thing (Ex. xx. 4).
Kersey and Lydia Graves. The Bible of Bibles (1879)
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He mashed hundreds of cakes of GI soap into the sweet potatoes just to show that people have the taste of Philistines and don't know the difference between good and bad. Every man in the squadron was sick. Missions were canceled.
Joseph Heller. Catch-22, p.64 (1961)
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She's like a Philistine on a Sunday, the way she won't take but so many steps a day.
Kathryn Stockett. The Help, p.260 (2009)
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that venerable place full of perspiring philistines and period objects.
Vladimir Nabokov. Lolita
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