Word of the Day — January 14, 2013

Nouveau riche — noo-VOH reesh — the "new rich," people who ascend to great money and usually spend it superficially

Example: "Joan Acocella's bio on Saint Francis of Assisi mentioned that 'Francis came from the nouveau riche. His father was a successful cloth merchant in a time when the mercantile class was on the rise and clothes very much made the man ...'"