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Tuesday
27Dec

Johnny Is So Creative, It’s Scary.

DateTuesday, December 27, 2005 at 09:50AM

texaschainsaw.jpgQuote:  "The student works to the best of his ability."  Common teacher recommendation for college applicants, according to admissions officers in USA Today.

Figure of Speech:  ennoia (en NOY a), the figure of faint praise.

According to USA Today, more than a tenth of teacher recommendations damn applicants through faint praise.  They employ the ennoia (Greek for "hidden intention").  The figure gets frequent exercise in our wimpy, argument-averse culture.  "Thirty years ago, a letter might have said that Johnny is not a nice person," says Lee Stetson, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, "whereas today the letter might say that Johnny does not have many friends."

Extremely enoiing.

Snappy Answer:  "Thank you for your candor."

AuthorFigaro | Comment1 Comment |

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Reader Comments (1)

and this student works very well under direct supervision.
September 10, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterscott gray

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