Word: meaninglessness
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Often Mr. Hitchcock sounds like Ruskin or Lewis Mumford, as when he speaks as a "functionalist": "The new Classical buildings at Washington, the new Gothic or Georgian buildings at the leading universities . . offer no new picture beyond that of the intentions of the nineties. All are splendid, expensive, and meaningless...
...Meaningless, except perhaps as an ideal to be emulated by real countries, the picture is none the less amusing, Jannings shows considerable talent as a light comedian, and the other players do their bits adequately. The British have successfully imitated the unique German style in photography and plot treatment. In short, "The Merry Monarch" is a restful evening's diversion...
...number of commands issued, on the other hand, reaches a peak at the age of 4, declines slowly thereafter. Girls show a faster general rate of development than boys. They ask more questions, issue more commands, say more "noes," do more gossiping. Boys surpass them only in fondness for meaningless words, babblings, gurglings, imitations of animals...
...Communist government at Hankow, where Borodin and Madame Sun Yat-sen stood in the wings, hoping to "proclaim the Soviet," but never getting a chance. Sheean saw Borodin daily, was impressed by the man's philosophy, the "long view" of the theoretical Marxist who regarded immediate events as meaningless unless related to other events in the past and future. Friendship with Borodin, and with Sun Yat-sen's widow, helped ruin Sheean as a practicing journalist. A U. S. girl named Rayna Prohme played the dominant part in the sea-change...
Deploring the lack of debate on questions of fundamental policy he says, "It is well-nigh farcical when members of an administration can, month after month, use phrases so old, tawdry, so vague, ill-considered, and meaningless, that I doubt whether a village meeting in a Tory stronghold in England would tolerate such political fustian." After dwelling on the necessity of debate, Mr. Neilson discusses problems such as restoring confidence, planning for others, the economic fog, the protection of the foolish, and the fourteenth amendment...