the late unpleasantness
- noun
- /ðə leɪt ʌnˈplɛzəntnəs/
- Archaic
:
la última desagradable
- Many historians refer to the late unpleasantness as a turning point in American history.
Examples
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Many families were divided during the late unpleasantness, with some supporting the Union and others the Confederacy.
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Historians sometimes use the late unpleasantness when discussing the impact of the Civil War on Southern society.
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He spoke about his grandfather’s experiences during the late unpleasantness with a touch of old-fashioned irony.
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Some people still debate the late unpleasantness.
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Many historians refer to the late unpleasantness as the American Civil War due to its devastating impact.
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The late unpleasantness is a term often used ironically to describe a conflict that tore the nation apart.
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In Southern folklore, they sometimes refer to the late unpleasantness to soften the harsh realities of the Civil War.
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + late + unpleasantness
The constituents 'late' (recent/previous) and 'unpleasantness' (an unpleasant event) transparently yield a general sense of a past unpleasant event, so a B1 learner would likely grasp it as a euphemistic reference to some former trouble or conflict. However, the conventionalized, historically specific use to mean the American Civil War (and the ironic/historical nuance) is culturally bound and not predictable from the words alone, so full interpretation requires prior exposure.
Etymology
The late unpleasantness is a quiet, polite way to refer to the American Civil War. One idea is that people used mild words: they called the big war late (meaning 'in the past') and unpleasantness (a soft word for serious trouble) so they could avoid saying 'Civil War', and today the phrase is used to mean that war in a gently ironic way.
