Who Said That First?: The Curious Origins of Common Words and Phrases

Golliwog For a century golliwogs have been a standard toy for kids. yet ultimately a turning out to be know-how of insensitivity to black american citizens sidelined the woolly-headed doll. even supposing encouraged through American imagery, the golliwog and its identify have been really invented in London. Englishwoman Florence Upton and her mom Bertha had lived in manhattan for a few years, and on returning to Britain, they produced a children’s tale: The Adventures of 2 Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg (1895). Florence, an complete illustrator, was once answerable for the golliwogg’s visual appeal. recognition was once rapid, and sequels undefined. the ultimate ‘g’ obtained misplaced alongside the best way, and the golliwog bought extra significant publicity whilst his snapshot joined the label of a well-liked jam. The golliwog later turned a springboard for Enid Blyton’s tar infants Golly and Woggy. yet throughout the Nineteen Nineties Blyton’s tar infants and the Uptons’ black doll themselves light to black. (As teenagers, C. S. Lewis and his brother created and wrote, round 1916, in regards to the mystical international Boxen, which integrated the characters of King Bunny and Golliwog. ) long gone with the wind The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (1937) offered 30 million copies, and the blockbuster motion picture (1939) remains to be considered as one of many all-time Hollywood classics. The expression received front-line awareness. writer Margaret Mitchell had plucked one line from a poem released over forty years sooner than, and she or he made that line international recognized. The poem (1896) by way of British poet Ernest Dowson has the forbidding name ‘Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae’, yet includes the extra obtainable line : i've got forgot a lot, Cynara! long past with the wind... in addition to being Mitchell’s name, the road happens within the novel whilst Scarlett O’Hara is pondering if her domestic Tara continues to be status. Mitchell had apparently thought of a number of different titles: Bugles Sang precise; now not in Our Stars; and Tote the Weary Load. In hindsight it’s effortless to agree long past with the Wind used to be the best option. Cole Porter used to be additionally it appears partial to an analogous Dowson poem. In Porter’s exhibit Kiss Me Kate the characters of invoice and Lois sing ‘Always actual to you darling in my fashion’, echoing a sentiment from ‘Non sum qualis’ during which Cynara is instructed time and again: ‘I were trustworthy to thee Cynara! in my model. ’ (Incidentally, MGM’s hugely publicised seek to discover a monitor Scarlett O’Hara culminated within the number of Vivien Leigh, one of many nice beauties of the time. This determination was once at quixotic variance with author Margaret Mitchell’s commencing line: ‘Scarlett O’Hara used to be now not beautiful... ’) (A) solid occupation movement This comment, even with its rampant cynicism, encompasses a grain of fact. The industries that have grown round megastar deaths were particularly prolific (largely as a result of a monetary profit which the aforesaid celebrities can not enjoy). of their ebook reside from long island Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller recount how the expression first arose, as stated via revered motion picture director John Landis. On sixteen August 1977, Landis used to be in a dialogue with Saturday evening stay comedy author Michael O’Donahue while a secretary got here in with the scoop that Elvis Presley were stumbled on lifeless.