Sophistication might be described as the ability to cope gracefully with a situation involving the presence of a formidable menace to one's poise and prestige (such as the butler, or the man under the bed — but never the husband).

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: James Thurber (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.