I am now into double digits for e-mails asking me if “preposterentsia” is my

own coinage. I wish. I spotted it in an article by British political

commentator Edward Pearce, about 20 years ago, in (I am pretty sure) the old

Encounter magazine, and have been making occasional use of it since. I

have, I believe, inspired by “preposterentsia,” applied the “-entsia” suffix

to other words, e.g. “obstreperentsia,” but I can’t find any record of these

usages. It is possible Pearce coined “preposterentsia” himself–he had (and

perhaps still has: I haven’t read anything of his for a while) a very

original and quirky style. On the other hand, he may have borrowed it from

somewhere else, I don’t know. Google is no help: all you get is my own

12/18/00 NRODT piece, from which I lifted today’s quote.