… One could not expect any body to take such a part—Nothing but buffoonery from beginning to end.

The old man was grumpy because he couldn’t find his glasses.

He acknowledges that it must seem a crackers thing to say, but given the substantial progress which has been made in other areas of the business, his optimism isn't without foundation.

The compact dictionary, which people like my dad received free from the Book-of-the-Month Club, made showoff etymology accessible, affordable and even stashable for the first time in modest American rec rooms and dens.