Frederick W. Smith? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: During the holidays I often spot FedEx vehicles delivering packages. While the business is very successful today it faced considerable skepticism initially. According to company legend the founder Frederick W. Smith described his plans for creating the company in a paper when he was an undergraduate, but the …
Monthly Archives: December 2017
In God We Trust; All Others Cash
Pennsylvanian Merchant? New York Merchant? Portland Merchant? Dear Quote Investigator: Today credit cards are commonplace in the U.S., but in the past many shopkeepers hesitated to extend credit to customers. Occasionally, reluctant businesses displayed a humorous sign: In God We Trust. All Others Pay Cash The phrase “In God We Trust” has a long history. …
The Player Is Listed As Day-to-Day. Aren’t We all?
Vin Scully? Keith Olbermann? Dan Patrick? Satchel Paige? Dear Quote Investigator: In the world of competitive sports an injured athlete often is placed on a list indicating that his or her health and readiness will be reevaluated each day. All of us can experience dramatic swings in well-being within twenty-four hours. One philosophical commentator stated: …
Continue reading “The Player Is Listed As Day-to-Day. Aren’t We all?”
If Matches Had Been Invented After Lighters They’d Be the Sensation of the Twentieth Century
George S. Kaufman? Ray Bradbury? Charles Norris? Bennett Cerf? Malcolm Bradbury? Dear Quote Investigator: A cigarette lighter is an impressive invention, but in some ways it is inferior to a simple match that is ignited by friction. A lighter requires fuel and a spark source; it can malfunction in myriad ways. The following point has …
No Stone Unturned. No Tern Unstoned. No Stern Untoned
Ogden Nash? James Nelson Gowanloch? Frank Colby? Arthur Knight? Alfred Hitchcock? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular creator of light verse Ogden Nash once crafted a poem that playfully altered a common phrase describing a thorough search: “no stone unturned”. The comical transformation produced “no tern unstoned” and “no stern untoned”. Did Nash originate these …
Continue reading “No Stone Unturned. No Tern Unstoned. No Stern Untoned”
A Drama Critic Leaves No Turn Unstoned
George Bernard Shaw? Catholic Standard and Times? Ethel Watts Mumford? Oliver Herford? Addison Mizner? Arthur Wimperis? Colette d’Arville? Ogden Nash? Diana Rigg? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous playwright George Bernard Shaw has been credited with a clever bit of wordplay concerning the role of a critic. The quip transforms the following venerable idiom describing a …