flout
verb

- to intentionally not obey a rule, law, or custom

The Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

flout: mid 16th century, perhaps from Dutch “fluiten” ‘whistle, play the flute, hiss (in derision); German dialect “pfeifen auf” literally ‘pipe at’, has a similar extended meaning.

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KITTY AND CLEOPATRA

In the 1760s Catherine Maria “Kitty” Fisher became the most celebrated courtesan in England by a clever and calculated flouting of convention.

Using her wit, charm and beauty, she rose to fame through high-profile liaisons with wealthy and powerful men. London society was both scandalised and fascinated by her behaviour.

Most prominent among her admirers was the famous society painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, who painted her portrait at least four times. His most famous being “Kitty Fisher as Cleopatra Dissolving the Pearl”. Here Reynolds depicts Kitty as Cleopatra in a scene recalling a lavish banquet held in honour of Mark Antony, at which the Egyptian queen dissolved a giant pearl in vinegar and drank it.

Similar stories were told about Kitty, who was well-known for her extravagance. According to Casanova, she once ate a £100 banknote on a slice of buttered bread.

The association between Kitty and Cleopatra – another woman known for her beauty and command over powerful men – was not lost on contemporary audiences.

Condensed from “The Great British Art Tour” by Louise Cooling

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SYNONYMS

be at odds with, be in breach of, bend the rules, cock a snook at, contravene, defy, disagree with, disobey, disregard, fail to comply with, fail to observe, FLOUT, fly in the face of, gainsay, go against, go counter to, ignore, infringe, kick against, kick over the traces, neglect, not comply with, not conform to, pay no attention to, pay no heed to, rebel against, refuse to accept the authority of, refuse to obey, ride roughshod over, set one’s face against, spurn, take no account of, take no notice of, thumb one’s nose at, trample on, transgress against, violate

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PRACTICE OWAD in a conversation, say something like:

“When rules lose their relevance, authorities often ignore if they are FLOUTED.”

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Paul Smith