Tracing Quotations
Dorothy Parker? Oscar Levant? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A famously trenchant wit was once asked to describe the daily routine followed after arising: I wake up in the morning and brush my teeth, and then I sharpen my tongue. These words have been attributed to the writer Dorothy Parker and to the pianist comedian Oscar …
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Dorothy Parker? Leonard Lyons? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous wit Dorothy Parker was a friend of Alexander Woollcott, a notable writer for “The New Yorker” magazine. When Woollcott’s ancient cat developed a serious malady he was told by a veterinarian that the animal would have to be put to sleep. Uncertain of how to …
Dorothy Parker? Mark Twain? Samuel Johnson? Sidney Skolsky? Margaret Case Harriman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The scintillating wit Dorothy Parker once listened to an enumeration of the many positive attributes of a person she disliked. Below is the final statement of praise together with Parker’s acerbic response: “She is always kind to her inferiors.” “And …
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Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The brilliant wit Dorothy Parker’s career was based on writing. She composed screenplays in Hollywood, and she authored columns for the magazines “Esquire” and “The New Yorker”. Yet, she was not always happy with her literary livelihood. Recently on Pinterest I saw a piece of comically lethal acerbic advice …
Dorothy Parker? Life Magazine? Maxson Foxhall Judell? Edwin G. Nourse? Tom Lehrer? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The following adage about age and recalcitrance is familiar to many: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I am trying to trace a comical wordplay variant: You cannot teach an old dogma new tricks. This statement is …
Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker constructed several epitaphs for herself. I am interested in the following: Here Lies the Body of Dorothy Parker. Thank God! When did she craft this fateful expression? Dear Quote Investigator: QI has already examined a collection of epitaphs that have been ascribed to Dorothy …
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Dorothy Parker? Lillian Hellman? Ford Model T Label? Frank Sullivan? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The witty author Dorothy Parker was once asked to suggest an epitaph for her tombstone. Over the years she crafted several different candidates, and I am interested in the following saying which can be expressed in multiple ways: If you …
Continue reading “If You Can Read This, You’ve Come Too Close”
Dorothy Parker? George R. R. Martin? Frank Norris? Robert Louis Stevenson? Cornelia Otis Skinner? Clive Barnes? Jack Klugman? Gloria Steinem? Hedley Donovan? Dear Quote Investigator: Writing is an arduous task for many skilled authors. There is a popular family of sayings that contrasts the elation of accomplishment with the struggle of composition: 1) I hate …
Continue reading “Don’t Like to Write, But Like Having Written”
Dorothy Parker? William P. Rothwell? Soaker? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker was also known as an imbiber. She would sometimes generously buy a round of drinks for her companions using the phrase: This is on me. Once when asked to create an epitaph for her tombstone she selected the expression …
Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker was once asked to create an epitaph for her tombstone. Apparently, she crafted several different candidates for inscription over the years. I am interested in the following: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment. Did the coruscating Algonquin Round Table …
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