# Usage of "classy" as an anti-signifier?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-classy-as-an-anti-signifier/828641>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 29, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-classy-as-an-anti-signifier/828641 "2019-01-29T23:36:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-classy-as-an-anti-signifier/828641/21 "2019-01-31T02:27:13Z")

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actually I hear/see “stay classy” used as a negative all the time ……

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**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-classy-as-an-anti-signifier/828641/22 "2019-01-31T03:32:03Z")

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I think it was at the beginning of a Joan Didion book of essays, where she comments to the effect that people who put the word life and style together to talk about their “lifestyle” rarely have either life or style.

“Countersignalling”! My new word!

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