Arts Twee: Since 1905
Last night, I had a (semi-) heated discussion with some friends about “twee”its roots, whether certain bands or publications were, whether the adjective could be used in a non-deprecatory way, etc. Because none of us were near an etymological dictionary, we didn’t know this:
“TWEE: `tiny, dainty, miniature,’ 1905, from childish pronunciation of sweet.”
Here’s a sampling of “twee” usage over the years:
1905 Punch 8 Mar. 178/1, `I call him perfectly twee!’ persisted Phyllis.
1917 M. T. HAINSSELIN Grand Fleet Days xv. 91 Girl: Oh, here’s another little gun; isn’t it a darling! Isn’t it just too twee for words!
1956 G. DURRELL Drunken Forest x. 193 `What twee individuals?’ `Those knowledgeable sentimentalists who are forever telling me that it’s cruel to lock up the poor wild creatures in little wooden boxes.’
1962 Guardian 12 July 7/1 The… highly commendable idea of importing bulk grains… and passing them, tweely packaged, to cage-bird fanciers.
1983 Listener 21 July 33/1 Mike Nichols’s thriller-fantasy about dolphins should be as nauseatingly twee as the worst Disneybut it isn’t.
Nothing is more "twee" than trying to define "twee."