Word of the Day
March 21, 2024
Effrontery
Brazen boldness or presumptuousness; shameless audacity in transgressing the bounds of duty, decorum, or propriety; barefaced assurance that shows disregard for what is proper.
From French 'effronterie', from 'effronté' meaning shameless, from Latin 'effrons' (without forehead, i.e., without shame), from 'ex-' (out of) + 'frons' (forehead, front). The forehead was considered the seat of shame, so being 'without forehead' meant lacking the capacity for shame.
Usage Examples
- The Colorado legislature's effrontery in drafting bills to restrict citizen access to public records reveals contempt for government transparency.
- Kim Monson described the radical activists' agenda as a direct effrontery to the constitutional rights of Colorado citizens.
- Bob Zimmer noted that politicians demonstrate effrontery when they forget they serve the people rather than rule over them.
From the Show
Kim Monson introduced effrontery to describe the March 21st broadcast’s examination of Colorado legislators who brazenly attack First Amendment protections while Pam Long exposed bills designed to silence citizen oversight.