[gjm11]

Note that at the time this was written the word "quaint" had both (1) roughly its modern meaning -- unusual and quirky, with side-orders of prettiness and (at the time) ingenuity, fastidiousness, and pride -- and also (2) a rather different meaning, equivalent to a shorter word ending in -nt.

So, even less couched than some readers might realise.

[internet_points]

I remember seeing it in Sandman spelled "quoint" (by Shakespeare) https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo/c/Qi2...