preposterosity

English

Etymology

From preposter(ous) +‎ -osity.

Noun

preposterosity (countable and uncountable, plural preposterosities)

1. (uncountable) The quality of being preposterous.

   Synonym: preposterousness

   • 1834, [Julia Pardoe], chapter XIII, in Speculation: […], volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], page 230:

     “Dresses in such bad taste!” smiled Miss Marguerita—Marguerita was a model of preposterosity in fashion.

   • 1849 September–October, J[ohn] Ross Browne, quoting J. M. Jones, Report of the Debates in the Convention of California, on the Formation of the State Constitution, in September and October, 1849, Washington, D.C.: […] John T[homas] Towers, published 1850, page 230:

     […] as to the gentleman’s ideal of preposterosity—that this proposition is too preposterous to be considered for a moment—in more than half the States of the Union, the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is limited.

   • 1860 June 12, D. Beaton, “Spergula pilifera—Killing Insects—Crinoline Pots”, in George W[illiam] Johnson, Robert Hogg, editors, The Cottage Gardener, Country Gentleman’s Companion, and Poultry Chronicle. […], volume XXIV, number 11/611, London: […] [T]he Proprietors, […], page 164, column 1:

     […] if anybody had the temerity then to predict that an acre of lawn could be sown down some day at a nominal cost of as many shillings as it would then require pounds to effect, there would have been no end of opinions upon the preposterosity of the assertion, if there is such a word.

   • 1898, W[illiam] B[axter] Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament, volume IV (Corinthians-Galatians; Paul, the Champion Theologian), M[artin] W[ells] Knapp, page 549:

     The peculiarity of Satan’s religion is its preposterosity, i. e., putting the cart before the horse.

   • 1974, Theodor H[olm] Nelson, Dream Machines, page 45:

     All these obstructive oddities, I think, have developed as separate ideals because of the grand preposterosity of Professionalism that has created a world-wide cult of mutual incomprehensibility and disconnected special goals.

   • 1958 May 11, “The Significance of Dr. Seuss”, in The New York Times Book Review, page 30:

     His latest book, “Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories” (Random House, $2.95) is an example of what [Theodor] Geisel calls his “logical preposterosity.”

   • 1976, Shana Alexander, “Splashing Around in Other People’s Lives”, in Talking Woman, New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press, →ISBN, page 14:

     Rumor and gossip, like sound itself, appear to travel by wave-effect, sheer preposterosity being no barrier.

   • 1982, Harry S[cott] Ashmore, Hearts and Minds: The Anatomy of Racism from Roosevelt to Reagan, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Book Company, →ISBN, page 269:

     When the microphones clustered and the red lights of the TV cameras began to glow, Faubus became a caricature of his usual, canny self—but a highly effective one as he discovered that sophisticated outlanders of the press corps, no less than red-necked voters at the branch-heads, could be diverted by sheer preposterosity.

2. (countable) Something that is preposterous.
   • 1807, James Beresford, “[Dialogue the Eighteenth. Miseries of London.] Miseries of Public Places.”, in The Miseries of Human Life; or The Last Groans of Timothy Testy and Samuel Sensitive; […], volume II, London: […] [F]or William Miller, […], by W[illiam] Bulmer and Co. […], page 142:

     The awkwardness of your feelings during an interview with Mr. Lambert, or any other polished Monster on public view—with the painful restraint laid by your delicacy on your curiosity, as to the particulars of his preposterosities.

   • 1814, R[obert] Huddleston, “Antiquity of the Irish Manuscripts”, in A New Edition of Toland’s History of the Druids: with an Abstract of His Life and Writings; […], Montrose: […] James Watt, for Peter Hill, […]; Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; F. Frost and A. Brown, […]; and J. Watt, […], page 415:

     Had Pliny turned his attention to the more elevated parts of the body, we might perhaps have found that the structure of their heads was equally retrograde with that of their heels; and on this principle some modern Gothic preposterosities might be accounted for, which have hitherto appeared totally inexplicable.

   • 1825 October, a Briton [pseudonym], “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Travelling”, in The European Magazine, volume I, number II, London: John Miller, […], page 129:

     […]—they return in the preposterosities of fashion, in the thirst for pleasurable gratifications, with a confusion of ideas floating in their brain, similar to the evaporations of intoxicating wine, with airy and unreal taste—[…]

   • 1845, [Catherine Gore], chapter X, in Self. […], London: Henry Colburn, […], page 351:

     The happy pair thus suitably united, are not only still extant, but the annual fancy-ball given at Cheltenham by Lieut.-Colonel Wegg and the Dowager Lady Askham, is one of the grandest affairs of the season in that city of preposterosities; […]

   • 1850 September 27, Mr. Benton, quotee, The Congressional Globe, number 128, Washington, D.C.: John C[ook] Rives, published 1850 September 30, page 2047, column 1:

     Now, the idea of fraud is the utmost absurdity, the utmost preposterosity.

   • 1910, Douglas Sladen, Queer Things About Egypt, London: Hurst & Blackett, […], page 120:

     That hotel was remarkably rich in humours outside, for there was a donkey-boys’ stand opposite, and camels often used to stand there, and the law-court was just up the road, and the high road from Karnak entered Luxor at this point. You had only to sit on a chair on the verandah to take notes and photographs of the preposterosities of native life all day long.

   • 1926 November 24, “The Theatre”, in The Evening Gazette, volume XLV, number 313, Xenia, Oh., page eight, column 1:

     “Hollywood is a gorgeous preposterosity. It can’t exist and yet here it is. Everyone here is purely objective. They don’t believe anything because somebody says it’s true. They don’t take any textbook’s word for a darn thing. They want to find out about everything for themselves. It’s amazing, magnificent. They’re so alive.” This is Jack Barrymore’s opin­ion of the “movie city” which he has grown to love after declaring his one love was for the stage.

   • 1979, R[obert] Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., “Major Claude Robert Eatherly: Faith in Our Time”, in Public Nuisances, New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, Inc., →ISBN, page 102:

     AS A LONGTIME ADMIRER of man’s ability to believe any preposterosity that soothes him, I was especially pleased to read of the July 1, 1978, death of Major Claude Robert Eatherly, United States Army Air Corps, discharged.

   • 2005, Murray Pomerance, Savage Time, [Ottawa, Ont.]: Oberon Press, →ISBN, page 79:

     This was surely, he was now concluding, the most preposterous of preposterosities, that a fish could travel, that a fish could go on the road.

   • 2009, Lori R. Lopez, Dance of the Chupacabras (The Dance Trilogy; 1), →ISBN, page 33:

     And yet, ironically, the campesinos were reticent to embrace preposterosities unless witnessing the fantasmic for themselves.

   • 2009, Deborah Abela, The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen, Sydney, N.S.W.: Random House Australia, →ISBN, page 74:

     ‘I don’t want to let Argus and Amarella down,’ Aurelie interrupted. / The two brothers swapped looks before firmly sandwiching their niece between them. ‘How could you possibly do that?’ Rolo asked. / ‘In fact, I think that is a distinct impossibility,’ Rindolf nodded. / ‘A preposterosity.’ / Aurelie smiled. ‘That’s not a word.’ / Rolo threw his head back. ‘It is now.’