Bowdlerize - What does it mean?
bowdlerize | |
To remove or alter those parts of a text considered offensive, vulgar, or otherwise unseemly.
* 1909 , , Ann Veronica , ch. 1:
* 1912 , , The Lost World , ch. 2:
* 1961 , J. A. Philip, "Mimesis in the Sophistês'' of Plato," ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association , vol. 92, p. 455:
The difference between bowdlerize and is:
bowdlerize
English
Alternative forms
* bowdlerise, Bowdlerize, BowdleriseVerb
(bowdleriz)- The bowdlerized version of the novel, while free of vulgarity, was also free of flavor.
- Mr. Stanley decided to treat that as irrelevant. "There ought to be a Censorship of Books." . . .
- Ogilvy pursued his own topic. "I'm inclined to think, Stanley, myself that as a matter of fact it was the expurgated Romeo and Juliet did the mischief. . . . All they left it was the moon and stars. And the balcony and ‘My Romeo!’"
- "Shakespeare is altogether different from the modern stuff. Altogether different. I'm not discussing Shakespeare. I don't want to Bowdlerize Shakespeare."
- "Wadley sent a message: ‘The President of the Zoological Institute presents his compliments to Professor Challenger, and would take it as a personal favor if he would do them the honor to come to their next meeting.’ The answer was unprintable."
- "You don't say?"
- "Well, a bowdlerized version of it would run: ‘Professor Challenger presents his compliments to the President of the Zoological Institute, and would take it as a personal favor if he would go to the devil.’"
- His critics take alarm only when it becomes apparent that he would bowdlerize Homer and exclude from his state the great tragedians.