Definition

Proper noun: * Thomas Bowdler: An English editor known for publishing expurgated (censored) versions of literary works, most notably the plays of William Shakespeare, in the early 19th century. His name became synonymous with the act of prudish censorship.

Usage

• The term is primarily used as a historical or literary reference to the person or the concept of censorship he represents.
• His surname, "Bowdler," is often used generically (as "to bowdlerize") to describe the act of removing material considered offensive or improper.

Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Thomas Bowdler believed his edited versions of Shakespeare made the plays suitable for family reading.
  • The 1818 edition by Thomas Bowdler omitted words and scenes he deemed indecent.

Advanced Usage

• "to bowdlerize" (verb): To remove or alter parts of a text, play, or film considered vulgar or objectionable. This is the most common modern usage derived from his name.
  • The film adaptation was heavily bowdlerized, removing all of the novel's controversial themes.
• "Bowdlerism" (noun): The practice or an instance of expurgating a text.
  • Victorian Bowdlerism affected many classic works of literature.

Variants and Related Words

• Bowdlerization (n): The act or result of bowdlerizing a text.
  • The bowdlerization of the ancient text stripped it of its original meaning.
• Expurgate (v): To remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from a text. (This is the formal synonym for "bowdlerize").
• Censorship (n): The suppression or prohibition of speech or writing deemed objectionable.

Synonyms

• Censor (n/v): A person who examines material for suppression; to suppress or remove such material.
• Expurgator (n): One who expurgates.
• Purge (v): To remove unwanted elements.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "A Bowdlerized version": A common phrase meaning a sanitized or censored version of an original work.
  • We read a Bowdlerized version of "Gulliver's Travels" in school.

Noun

1. English editor who in 1818 published an expurgated edition of the works of Shakespeare (1754-1825)