Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

modest proposal

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.90 in modern English

Syllables: mod-est pro-pos-al
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An idea which is especially extreme, unorthodox or distasteful, often put forward in jest.

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see modest, proposal.

Example Sentences

"And for all the chuntering about the "Granny Tax" it is not as though Osborne made a radical or, if you prefer, modest proposal along the lines of offering tax credits or generous allowances to the heirs of pensioners who plump for voluntary, patriotic euthanasia..."
"I therefore have a modest proposal aimed at rectifying this situation: let's declare war!"
""I have a modest proposal," Alabaster said. "We need two new examples to demonstrate how awesome nuclear war is, so it will sober up politicians, military men and statesmen, not only here but in the Soviet Union.""

Etymology

From Jonathan Swift's 1729 satire A Modest Proposal, which suggested cannibalism as a solution to Irish poverty.

Inflected Forms

modest proposals (plural)

Questions

What does modest proposal mean?: An idea which is especially extreme, unorthodox or distasteful, often put forward in jest.
Where does modest proposal come from?: From Jonathan Swift's 1729 satire A Modest Proposal, which suggested cannibalism as a solution to Irish poverty.

How to pronounce modest proposal

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