Moralistic dudgeon

[GoodTaste]

The phrase "Moralistic dudgeon" appears to mean "quality or condition of being morally offended". It sounds especially scholarly and I doubt it is ever used colloquially.

Is "Moralistic dudgeon" written English?

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Steven Pinker tweets:
@sapinker
A final comment: I feel sorry for the signatories. Moralistic dudgeon is a shallow and corrosive indulgence, & policing the norms of your peer group a stunting of the intellect. Learning new ideas & rethinking conventional wisdom are deeper pleasures …

 

[Tdol]

I don't hear people say dudgeon much, but you will find it used in things like newspaper opinion pages.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's not scholarly, just old-fashioned. These days, it usually comes after high, and even that use sounds ancient.

 

[GoodTaste]

It's not scholarly, just old-fashioned. These days, it usually comes after high, and even that use sounds ancient.

Dudgeon is an indulgence... Doesn't it sound very neat?
It seems likely that Steven Pinker, a Harvard professor, showed his linguistic skills by using this.

 

[Tdol]

I liked the way the tweet read. Maybe dudgeon should make a comeback.

 

[GoodTaste]

I liked the way the tweet read. Maybe dudgeon should make a comeback.

As Pinker said, "...rethinking conventional wisdom are deeper pleasures …"

 

[Tdol]

Pleasures is the key word there.