Since this in the paper was written by a British colmunist, I assume the parts that mystify me are Briticisms. Do educate me, please. Thanks in advance.

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The Democratic candidates trot out their lame clichés, about the need to "internationalize" Iraq, by which they mean not Tony Bair, John Howard, the Poles and Italians, but Kofi Annan, The Hague, the French and the Guinean foreign minister. The Democrats' indestructible retreat to this dreary line gives them the air of a gormless twit in a drawing-room comedy coming through the French windows every 10 minutes and saying, "Anyone for tennis?"

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• What is gormless? Does it rhyme with form or with worm? If one person can be gormless, can another be gormful or possess the trait of gorm?
• I've never heard of French windows. Are they the same thing as what I know as French doors?
• The author is Mark Steyn, columnist for London's Daily Telegraph and Spectator. What is his reputation?

A gormless person is one who is rather stupid or ineffectual. Possibly one lacking in serious purpose who is more taken up with frivolous issues.

French eindows are French doors.

Richard English

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Originally posted by shufitz:
Since this in the paper was written by a British colmunist, I assume the parts that mystify me are Briticisms. Do educate me, please. Thanks in advance.

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The Democratic candidates trot out their lame clichés, about the need to "internationalize" Iraq, by which they mean not Tony Bair, John Howard, the Poles and Italians, but Kofi Annan, The Hague, the French and the Guinean foreign minister. The Democrats' indestructible retreat to this dreary line gives them the air of a _gormless_ twit in a drawing-room comedy coming through the _French windows_ every 10 minutes and saying, "Anyone for tennis?"

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+ What is _gormless?_ Does it rhyme with _form_ or with _worm?_ If one person can be _gormless,_ can another be _gormful_ or possess the trait of _ gorm?_+ I've never heard of _French windows._ Are they the same thing as what I know as _French doors?_+ The author is Mark Steyn, columnist for London's Daily Telegraph and Spectator. What is his reputation?

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Further to Richard's reply, the first syllable of gormless rhymes with form and no, to the best of my knowledge you cannot be gormful nor is there any such thing as gorm.

It is an adjective often applied to the stereotype of an "upper class twit" which is the allusion being made in the reference you quote.

Why should I let the toad work
Squat on my life ?
Can't I use my wit as a pitchfork
And drive the brute off ?
Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Well, I am as clueless as my Shufitz about those words. I rather like Gormless; is it used much in the U.K.?

I would love to know the source of that quote. Just a guess....the Wall Street Journal?

I had heard the word somewhere before, but couldn't remember where. So I started searching. The first thing I found is that gormless has been around since 1883! Then I found this from A Dictionary of Slang(www.peevish.co.uk):

gorm Noun. An idiot, an imbecile. Abbreviation derived from the adjective gormless. Usually jocular usage, albeit derog.

gormless Adj. Lacking sense, foolish. {Informal}

Then I thought I remembered where I had heard the word before, and I looked it up, only to find that that web page had been removed! I think it was in an article by James K. Kilpatrick about some of the delightful and colorful Britishisms.

Gormless was Classic FM Breakfast's Word of the Day on June 4, 2003.

Tinman

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Originally posted by tinman: gorm Noun. An idiot, an imbecile. from gormless Adj. Lacking sense, foolish.

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Makes no sense. Gormless should be "lacking gorm" or "free from gorm;" in other words, the opposite. A witless person is the opposite of a wit; a brainless person is the opposite of a brain -- but a gormless person is a gorm?

Ahem! What do you brits have to say for yourselves?

I think I've seen more references to "French windows" in the novels of P. J. Wodehouse than in all the rest of the writing I've even encountered.

I once read a definition for them something along the lines of "windows where, when you enter a room through them, you don't give the appearance of a burglar."

In his immortal speech to the Oxford Union, Gerard Hoffnung reads out some supposed replies from Tyrolean hoteliers to whom he had written asking about accommodation. One reply was:

"Standing among savage scenery, the hotel offers stupendous revelations. There is a French widow in every bedroom, affording delightful prospects."

Of course, unless you hear the speech you cannot truly appreciate the humour. You can find out a little about the great Hoffnung here http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/hoffnung/index.htm

Richard English