Nimism

Examples

• King Duncan’s cloak, too wide for his murderous successor Macbeth.
• The feet of the two naughty stepsisters, too big to fit Cinderella’s tiny shoe, hence an obvious evidence of their wrong claim.
• Elizabeth Bennet’s look at the nude male sculptures in Darcy’s art gallery, cast much too long to conceal her sexual awakening.
• The proverbial “Qui s’excuse s’accuse” referring to an apology offered too early, i.e., untimely and not asked for, and thus revealing a bad conscience.