speaking in lutestring
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Flash, highly polished oratory. The expression was used more than once by Junius. Shakespeare has "taffeta phrases and silken terms precise.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “speaking in lutestring” mean?
Flash, highly polished oratory. The expression was used more than once by Junius. Shakespeare has "taffeta phrases and silken terms precise.
Is “speaking in lutestring” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.