11 FEBRUARY 1989, Page 33

A DICTIONARY OF CANT

VIRTUE Virtue is not strictly a cant word, but its absence from public de- bate is worth mentioning, as words, like people, can leave absences bigger than their presence ever was. Modern virtues are Community, accessibility accountability and so forth. People used to call their children after virtues like Faith and Modesty, and it is regrett- able that modern socialist parents do not call their children Accountability Smith and Community Brown.

Nigel Burke