Latest answers

Latest answers

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

408. Dull and boring?


Originally a halogenic compound this word is a byword for a dull, boring person or a cliche. The credit for the figurative usage of the word goes to one gentleman named Gelett Burgess who used it for the first time in an essay called the "The Sulphitic Theory". In the fall of 1906, Gelett published a revised and enlarged essay in the form of a small book called "Are You a _______?" The essay also gave rise to a different word meaning a short promotional piece accompanying a creative work. Which two words were coined by Burgess?