XPost: alt.usage.english, alt.english.usage   
   From: ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de   
      
   Jenny M Benson  wrote or quoted:   
   >On 27/08/2025 03:11, Peter Moylan wrote:   
   >>I have always had the impression that "interesting children" were   
   >>disabled in some way, but I can't find any evidence of that.   
   >You may be right.  There is a book for sale on Amazon.com called   
   >"Parenting Interesting Children: A real life story of raising a child   
   >with special needs."   
      
     That's an interesting question!   
      
     On the internet you run into quotes like:   
      
   |A very interesting boy, about 11 years old was brought to   
   |this office by his mother charged with various acts of   
   |robbery 1816   
      
   |This celebrated singer died a few days since at her house in   
   |Herne Hill, Dulwich. She ranked high in her profession in   
   |which she acquired an ample fortune, the whole of which she   
   |has bequeathed to an interesting boy, her only child, by Mr   
   |Barham. 1817   
      
   |On Tuesday, John Mackay, a fine interesting boy, nine years   
   |of age had his right arm torn and shattered at the New Tay St   
   |spinning mill in such a manner as to render immediate   
   |amputation above the elbow necessary. 1822   
      
     . The chatbot explained it like this:   
      
   |In those early 19th-century newspaper snippets, the adjective   
   |"interesting" doesn't mean "curious" or "fascinating" in the   
   |modern sense. Instead, it carried a more affective,   
   |sympathetic meaning.   
   |   
   |In that period, interesting often meant "touching, affecting,   
   |likely to excite sympathy, pity, or tender feelings." It was   
   |commonly used in reference to children, young women, or   
   |unfortunate cases, to suggest they were appealing, pitiable,   
   |or deserving of compassion.   
      
     .   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)