Word of the Day: surquedry

surquedry (n)

Pride, arrogance, presumption or insolence.

"Thou unprofitable spinster! Did I not bid thee mind the wax there by the hearth, lest it grew too hot? And see! It runneth about the ashes, and much good shall it serve for making of candles! I do wonder at thy light thoughts and over-much surquedry! There is no good hubandry in thee! A pretty piece of goods to find a mate for!"
--Edward Gilliat, Forest Outlaws

There are two things I can't abide in a person: stupidity and arrogance. When the two are combined in a single character, the person is inevitably, in my experience, a walking disaster, creating chaos in whatever situation they encounter. I've dealt with arrogant people, and it's tolerable, as long as they are also smart. You usually just have to humor them, and they'll let you be. I've known stupid people too, and they're also manageable, because they're easily manipulated. But an arrogant and stupid person? Run! Run away as fast as you can. Especially if they are also charming in some way. We've had presidents like that, not so long ago, and look where it's taken us.

But you'll find these people while walking down the street, too -- like the guy in the Cadillac SUV who almost ran me over the other day, even though I had the pedestrian right of way. I almost got his license-plate number. Yes, SUV -- Surquedry Ultimate Vanity.

"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity."
--Frank Leahy