prissy 的词源

“太过讲究，过于挑剔”，这个词最早出现在1895年，可能源于美国南方方言，首次由乔尔·钱德勒·哈里斯记录。它可能是对precise（详见）一词的变体，或者是prim和sissy的结合[牛津英语词典]。相关词汇有Prissily（过于讲究地）、prissiness（过于讲究的特质）。

["]Then Mrs Blue Hen rumpled up her feathers and got mad with herself, and went to setting. I reckon that's what you call it. I've heard some call it 'setting' and others 'sitting.' Once, when I was courting, I spoke of a sitting hen, but the young lady said I was too prissy for anything."

"What is prissy?" asked Sweetest Susan.

Mr. Rabbit shut his eyes and scratched his ear. Then he shook his head slowly.

"It's nothing but a girl's word," remarked Mrs. Meadows by way of explanation. "It means that somebody's trying hard to show off."

"I reckon that's so," said Mr. Rabbit, opening his eyes. He appeared to be much relieved.

[Joel Chandler Harris, "Mr. Rabbit at Home"]

“然后蓝母鸡把羽毛弄得乱七八糟，自己生气，开始下蛋。我想这就是人们所说的‘下蛋’吧。我听过有人叫它‘坐蛋’，也有人叫它‘下蛋’。有一次，我在追求一个女孩时提到一只坐蛋的母鸡，但那位小姐说我太过prissy了。”

“什么是prissy？”甜美的苏珊问道。

兔先生闭上眼睛，挠了挠耳朵，然后慢慢摇了摇头。

“这不过是个女孩用词，”梅多斯太太解释道。“它的意思是某人在努力炫耀自己。”

“我想也是，”兔先生睁开眼睛，似乎松了一口气。

[乔尔·钱德勒·哈里斯，《兔先生在家》]