Twee. Such a sweet word.  And that is just what it means.  According to Webster…

Chiefly British: affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint. Example: The movie was a bit twee for my taste.

A London shop window during jubilee. Twee? I think so. Photo by me.

The first known use was in 1905, and the origin is thought to be the baby-talk alteration of sweet.

Now, some of my British friends have referred to Downton Abbey as twee. And I was taken aback when looking at descriptions of one of my favorite British sit-coms, As Time Goes By to see that it was suggested it might be a bit “twee”.

A cottage in Castle Combe that is lovingly, purposefully “twee”. Photo by me

Of course, we American are just suckers for twee. That is what many of us expect to see when we travel to England, or go to a British film. Think of the movie The Holiday, or Sense and Sensibility.

It makes me think I might like a world that is just a bit twee, although, like too much chocolate, you can sometimes have too much of a good thing.