Chrysti The Wordsmith: Holier Than Thou

Greetings and welcome to Christie the wordsmith. Holier than thou is an unflattering moniker reserved for people considered offensively self-righteous. Those labeled holier than thou might for example add here doggedly to religious doctrine and sneer at those who do not. Today's expression comes not surprisingly from the pages of the Old Testament where the prophet Isaiah is in dialogue with an angry God who accuses the Israel ites of sacrificing to idols consulting the dead and eating the flesh of swine. To make matters worse these religious strays feel superior to those who do not join them in their perverse rituals and say in the book of Isaiah. Stand by thy self. Come not near me for I am holier than thou. The phrase holier than thou as a nickname for a self-righteous person began showing up in print in the early twentieth century. Journalists have rejiggered this ancient phrase to fit up to the minute social and political developments. Someone greener than thou for example wears his

smug environmentalism on his sleeve. The most maverick of recording musicians are indie year then the New York Times journalist David Pogue in a Technology Review of June 7th 2007 calls the manufacture of the most diminutive camcorder tinier than the Nashville songwriter with the most homegrown lyrics. Is country or than thou. I'm Christie the wordsmith from Montana State University in Bozeman. Good day verbal force. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry. Zoot web dot com.