Tuesday July 21, 2020
Cinderella
PRONUNCIATION: (sin-duh-REL-luh)
MEANING: noun: 1. One who deserves success or recognition, but instead suffers from neglect or obscurity. 2. One who achieves sudden triumph or recognition, especially after a long period of neglect or obscurity.
ETYMOLOGY: After Cinderella, the fairy-tale character who is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. With a little help from a fairy godmother, she attends a royal ball thrown by a prince. Ultimately, she marries the prince and lives happily ever after. What’s behind the name Cinderella? It’s a pseudo-translation of the French name of the girl, Cendrillon, from cendre (cinder), perhaps an allusion to her day-to-day existence, tending to the fireplace and hearth, and as a result she has cinders all over her. It may also be a hint to the hidden spark in her otherwise dismal life. Earliest documented use: 1840.
USAGE: “Perhaps because dentistry is the Cinderella of the public health system, receiving little attention, these problems have been allowed to persist.” Paul Cullen; Grindingly Slow Progress on Inquiry into Children’s Orthodontic Damage; Irish Times (Dublin); Apr 2, 2019.
“The Badgers are the Cinderella of the Final Four thanks to toppling a national championship winner.” Ben Steele; Sconnie Final Four Is Set; Green Bay Press Gazette (Wisconsin); Apr 1, 2020.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without. -Ernest Hemingway, author, journalist, Nobel laureate (21 Jul 1899-1961)
tktorme 