New Word: Tapleyism

tapleyism
“Well, there’d be some credit in being jolly with an inflammation of the lungs.”

PRONUNCIATION:(TAP-lee-i-zuhm) 

MEANING:noun: Extreme optimism, even under most hopeless circumstances.

ETYMOLOGY:After Mark Tapley, a character in Charles Dickens’s Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44). Earliest documented use: 1857.

NOTES:The mission of Mark Tapley is to remain “jolly” under all circumstances. It is tested when he accompanies his boss Martin Chuzzlewit on a trip to America and comes down with malaria while living in a swamp. When asked how he’s doing, he responds: “Floored for the present, sir, but jolly!” 

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