Good morning.

A comment on the second usage example for "douceur" by Nicholas Fraser: I suspect that the intent here is not the negative sense of "tip" or "bribe". My understanding is that the Herzls and the Wittgensteins of fin-de-siecle Vienna possessed large fortunes from industry and were enjoying the sweetness and freedoms of the good life, so I suspect that this is commensurate with the French meaning. It would seem that a second sense should be included to reflect this.

Regards,
--Eric

I looked up both Herzl and Wittgenstein in the Encarta Encyclopdia, but could find nothing to indicate to what extent their inheritances subsidized their careers. In any event wealth did not lead them to prefer dolce far niente.