bawdry
bawdry — noun
1. behaviour that violates traditional moral rules about sex, considered improper o
behaviour that violates traditional moral rules about sex, considered improper or sinful in many older religious and social codes.
Puritan court records show that charges of bawdry were brought against both men and women.
charges of bawdry — legal context
Greta's grandmother said any hint of bawdry could destroy a young woman's reputation.
The bishop's letters condemned the bawdry of the royal court in strong terms.
In the novel, the strict village elders gossip constantly about the bawdry of their neighbours.
Ilan learned that old records used the word 'bawdry' for what is now called adultery.
- lechery
emphasises the lustful desire rather than the act itself
- debauchery
suggests excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, not only sexual
- unchastity
more neutral and formal; the closest direct synonym
文法句型
uncountable noun
用法筆記
This sense is now considered archaic. The word appears mainly in historical or literary discussions of morality, religion, or law from earlier centuries.
常見錯誤
2. language or writing that is sexually explicit, rude, or offensive in a coarse wa
language or writing that is sexually explicit, rude, or offensive in a coarse way — often used to describe jokes, stories, or songs with a vulgar sexual theme.
The old sailor's stories were full of bawdry that made the crew shift uncomfortably.
Antonia was surprised to find so much bawdry in a book about philosophy.
The censors ordered the theatre company to remove all bawdry before opening night.
Liang's colleagues laughed at the bawdry in the comedian's routine, but he found it tiresome.
The queen's ladies exchanged bawdry in whispers while the formal speeches droned on.
文法句型
uncountable noun
用法筆記
Also considered archaic, though the adjective 'bawdy' (as in 'bawdy humour') still appears occasionally in modern English. 'Bawdry' itself is very rare in contemporary speech and writing.