THE
PUFFY AWARDS
Definition
puff, 6(a): to praise, extol, or commend in inflated or
extravagant terms, usually from interested motives; esp. to
advertise with exaggerated or falsified praise.
"Full-blown Bufo, puff'd by ev'ry quill;
Fed with soft Dedication all day long. "
- Alexander Pope, 1735
From the Oxford English Dictionary
A blast from the past of puff (parody dedications to
Fielding's Shamela, 1741):
Dear SIR,
However you came by the excellent Shamela, out with it, without fear or
favour, Dedication and all; believe me, it will go through many editions, be
translated into all languages, read in all nations and ages, and to say a bold
word, it will do more good than the Clergy have done harm in the world.
I am Sir,
Sincerely your Well-wisher,
YOURSELF.
SIR,
I have read your Shamela through and through, and a most inimitable
performance it is. Who is he, what is he, that could write so excellent a
book? . . .
I am, Sir,
Your humble servant,
JOHN PUFF.
A defence of puffery (from the conversation of Oscar
Wilde):
Every time my name is mentioned in a paper I write at once to
admit that I am the Messiah. Why is Pears' soap successful? Not because it is
better or cheaper than any other soap, but because it is more strenuously
puffed. The Journalist is my "John the Baptist."
|
|
