Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun the use of archaism, tushery
  • adjective Filled with or full of archaisms.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From gadzooks +‎ -ery

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Examples

  • Bridget's novel, set in colonial Virginia, features an engaging and cohesive plot, but the dialogue contains so much gadzookery that it doesn't sound realistic.

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day 2009

  • We’ve all stumbled through those historical novels where the plot and dialogue have been overwhelmed by the author’s well-intentioned research; my favorite term for this was coined by a reviewer: “gadzookery.”

    Archive 2009-07-01 Elizabeth Kerri Mahon 2009

  • We won't accuse Dickens of gadzookery ( "the bane of historical fiction," as historical novelist John Vernon called it in

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day 2009

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