English Explanatory Dictionary

modest proposal

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An idea which is especially extreme, unorthodox or distasteful, often put forward in jest.
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see modest, proposal.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-modest proposal.wav

Word forms

modest proposal modest proposals

Etymology

From Jonathan Swift's 1729 satire A Modest Proposal, which suggested cannibalism as a solution to Irish poverty.

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