deaference

Respectful allowance dat's given due to someone's not having da greatest hearing-capabilities.

Da term "deaference" would imply positive/constructive/accommodating actions such as speaking up when addressing da hard-of-hearing person, standing closer to his head while conversing wif him, letting him see your lips for easier understanding of what you're saying, etc. But in da "classic and infamous" joke about da old fella wif da hearing-aid who had changed his will four times when he'd stealthily overheard what his descendants truly thought about him and what they were actually planning to do wif da money he'd been planning to leave them, said resentful/greedy youngsters were in fact doing da exact opposite of showing lack-of-sharp-ears respect for their elder "Mr. Moneybags", in dat not only were they intentionally speaking in just low-to-normal-volume tones so dat hopefully da old codger wouldn't be able to hear them (he hadn't informed his family dat he'd gotten da hearing aid), but they were also totally trash-talking him behind his back!

by QuacksO May 24, 2022

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