sermonising

The girl immediately behind had nipped out her knife and deftly cut the leading string, as a practical demonstration of the favour in which "sermonising" was held at Hurst, and the whole band stood and screamed with laughter as the would-be preacher retraced her steps to the bottom of the hill, and started afresh on her symbolic climb!

Tom and Some Other Girls A Public School Story George de Horne Vaizey 1887

Without the most distant approach to that fatal kind of sermonising which all but inevitably repels those whom it is meant to benefit, the story forcefully illustrates how rapidly they may sink who once tamper, for seeming present advantage, with truth, and how surely, sooner or later, a noble character comes to vindication and honour; and in all such respects it is eminently true to life.

The Fifth Form at Saint Dominic's A School Story Talbot Baines Reed 1872

He asserted himself in his surtouts and vests, without of course having a shadow of reason for so doing, save that some other young curates asserted themselves in the same way; and he asserted himself then and there in a tone of voice called "sermonising," to which foolish young men are sometimes addicted, and which, by the way, being a false, and therefore irreligious tone, is another great stumbling-block in the way of Christianity.

The Iron Horse 1859

"Such stuffy, sermonising prose," thinks Tamara, reading Tait's cuttings.

The Spoiler by Annalena McAfee – review 2011

What Is This Thing Called Love? unfolds in raw exclamations over cymbal splashes, quickly racing uptempo; Nancy With the Laughing Face is a showcase for the more sensuous slow playing of both Hayes and the elegant Pine; and the classic Mexican Green shows the free-sermonising impact of John Coltrane before it turns into a staccato and gospelly groove.

Tubby Hayes: Lament – review John Fordham 2010

To him hate was "fire", but he understood the other side, too, sermonising about the "love" in his team.

Vince Lombardi and Alex Ferguson are cleverest manipulators | Paul Hayward 2011

But this goodly sermonising pales next to his earlier blunderbuss derision.

Richard Herring – review 2010

I think girliejones' comment that calling virginity the greatest gift' a woman can give is indeed denigrating to women and our many stirling qualities - but the extent of sermonising on Abbott's part is also being way overblown here if you look at what he actually said and the context.

More than just a hymen girliejones 2010

Omar has a tender relationship with his wife and son, he rejects the sermonising of his local hard-line Muslim friend and he seems genuinely moved by a political conviction to remove invading forces from the present conflicts in the Middle East a political sensibility many may find themselves in agreement with in itself.

FOUR LIONS; hilarious and thought-provoking | Obsessed With Film 2010

It's an intriguing snapshot of the quotations Kindle users save for future reference, and while I don't seem to share their tastes – at the time of writing, seven of the top 10 entries are from Dan Brown or the cheesily sermonising Christian bestseller The Shack – I do share the underlying urge.

This column will change your life: Make a book of your own 2010