# Sad, glad, mad, +4th?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-glad-mad-4th/381553>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [November 23, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-glad-mad-4th/381553 "2006-11-23T15:36:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-glad-mad-4th/381553/1 "2006-11-23T15:36:33Z")

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[Cecil’s column on the subject](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_259b.html)

I think poetic license is required. It was tempting to use “bad” in a Protestant-work-ethic sense, but if you just leave off the quest for perfect rhyme, you can use:

phlegmatic flat  
sanguine glad  
melancholy

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**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-glad-mad-4th/381553/2 "2006-11-23T15:39:18Z")

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[Cecil’s column on the subject](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_259b.html)

I think poetic license is required. It was tempting to use “bad” in a Protestant-work-ethic sense, but if you just leave off the quest for perfect rhyme, you can use:

phlegmatic flat  
sanguine glad  
choleric mad  
melancholy sad

* * *

(And blame the cat for incomplete post #1)

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**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-glad-mad-4th/381553/3 "2006-11-23T18:10:33Z")

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“bland”?