Today's Broadcast

Topic: Stuck-up

We heard from a woman wondering why we use stuck-up to mean "conceited"; "snobbish." 

Our nosing around led us to a number of theories. One explanation has it that someone who is up figuratively is figuratively being raised above others; if he or she is stuck up there, he or she cannot get down to the level of the hoi polloi.

A second has it that someone who sticks up is standing out from others; this sticking up away from others can lead to the impression (or projection) that the person standing out and away from the crowd must be looking down on them.

Another logical enough hypothesis traces the term to the appearance of someone conceited. Someone whose nose is stuck up into the air is looking down (or looking down his or her nose) at the rest of humanity.

We find our final explanation in the animal kingdom. Remember that a peacock sticks up its feathers in order to announce its importance to others. Surely the pride of a peacock can come across as arrogance or an unwarranted air of superiority, or just plain stuck-up-ness.

So what's the truth about the origin of stuck-up? We'll stick to the facts: lexicographers aren't certain, but they certainly aren't so pretentious that they affect knowledge others don't have.

Questions or comments? Write us at wftw@aol.com Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and Web sites including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.