effete

• Also , without being actually positive , it struck him a great field was to be opened up in the line of opening up new routes to keep pace with the times apropos of the fishguard - rosslare route which , it was mooted , was once more on the tapis in the circumlocution departments with the usual quantity of red tape and dillydallying of effete fogeydom and dunderheads generally
  此外，虽然不到具体实施的程度，他脑子里还浮现出一个想法：为了与时代步调一致，应开拓新天地，开辟新航路。恰当的例子就是菲什加德-罗斯莱尔航路82 。人们纷纷说，经交通省提出后，照例由于衙门冗繁的文牍主义，因循姑息，吊儿郎当，净是蠢才，至今仍在反复审议中83 。