A striped hammock with a pink blanket inside a small ivy-covered stone arch, overlooking a distant landscape.

Original artwork, not a still

Ambrose Bierce

Convent. A place of retirement for women who wish for leisure to meditate upon the sin of idleness.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

A satirical dictionary entry that defines a convent as a place where women go to enjoy free time so they can think about how sinful laziness is. The humor comes from the tidy irony: retirement is offered so people can feel guilty about resting. It's a wry jab at contradictory ideals.

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