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all mouth and trousers (W3)

This strange expression comes from the north of England and is used, mainly by women in my experience, as a sharp-tongued and effective putdown of a certain kind of pushy, over-confident male. Proverbial expressions like this are notoriously hard to pin down: we have no idea exactly where it comes from nor when it first appeared, although it is recorded from the latter part of the 19th century onwards. However, we're fairly sure that it is a pairing of "mouth'', meaning insolence or cheekiness, with "trousers'', a pushy sexual bravado. It's a wonderful example of metonymy ("a container for the thing contained'').
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askoxford
Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

From Ambition to Youth, Health and Fitness to Technology, the "Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations" is packed full of more than 4,000 quotations on over 250 subjects.

Curry favour (W3)

It's an odd phrase. Why should "curry" have anything to do with winning the favour of somebody or ingratiating oneself with him?
It becomes even weirder when you discover that the phrase really means "to stroke a fawn-coloured horse".
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deproverbio

divided by a common language
separated by a common language
England and America are two countries divided by a common language
The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language (W3)

A World of Many Englishes

We've been speaking English for more than 1000 years, and over that time it has changed radically.

As more and more people throughout the world use English and develop their own form of the language, Melvyn Bragg investigates how the British version will change and which, if any, of the many Englishes will dominate.

You may need to download the free Real Player to hear the clips.

• Global English - English is spoken as a first language in many countries across the world, yet native speakers sound markedly different from place to place. Steven Pinker of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology maintains that these Englishes are in fact very similar.
• USA and British English - Writer and actor Stephen Fry, a frequent visitor to the States, wonders whether the phrase "two countries divided by a common language" can be accurately applied to Britain and the USA.
• Accents - Even if the words we use are much the same, our accents are strikingly different. Steven Pinker believes we use accents to differentiate between people, and not only in terms of their geographical origin.
• Does English rule the world? - English is often triumphantly hailed as the most popular global language and the most important. Steven Pinker doesn't think this is entirely true.
• English in the future - Our language will continue to evolve as it has for centuries. Stephen Fry is wary of predicting the direction this change will take, but fears swearing faces a bleak future.
• A fluid language - While the pedants continue trying to enforce the rules of English grammar, both Steven Pinker and Stephen Fry are more interested in using a living language than one set in stone.

Separated by a Common Language

Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK

March 17, 2014 by Geoffrey Pullum

Undivided by a Common Language

The alleged chasm that separates American from British English is often discussed in highly emotional terms. It probably won’t make me popular on either side of the Atlantic when I say that I think the differences have been wildly, insanely overstated. To cite just one example, I once met a British woman in Edinburgh who told me loudly and confidently that Americans had completely abandoned the use of adverbs.

People have been exaggerating the trans-Atlantic dialect distinctions ever since Oscar Wilde (in The Canterville Ghost, 1887) remarked that the British “have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.” Bertrand Russell (Saturday Evening Post, June 3, 1944) called it “a misfortune for Anglo-American friendship that the two countries are supposed to have a common language,” and Dylan Thomas (The Listener, April 1954) spoke of European and American writers and scholars being “up against the barrier of a common language.” (George Bernard Shaw is supposed to have said something similar, but this has never been substantiated: No one cites a source.)
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Eigentlich gibt es bloß noch zwei Wörter, bei denen sich der Sprachgebrauch in beiden Landesteilen unterscheidet. Die Ostdeutschen sagen "Kaufhalle", wo die Westdeutschen "Supermarkt" sagen, während der Name für "Kunststoff" im Westen "Plastik" lautet und im Osten "Plaste". Man kann sie also noch erkennen. Aber das ist es auch schon. Was die Sprache betrifft, erkennen wir einen geradezu triumphalen Totalvollzug der deutschen Einheit. Sollen wir darüber jubeln?

Karl Kraus hat gesagt, Osterreich und Deutschland würden durch eine gemeinsame Sprache getrennt. In besonders trüben Augenblicken beschleicht mich der Verdacht, bei Deutschland-Ost und Deutschland-West verhalte es sich ebenso.
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Two nations divided by a common language

"America and England are two nations divided by a common language." - Somebody, either Oscar Wilde or George Bernard Shaw. Or maybe both. In 1887 Wilde wrote: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language". But the 1951 Treasury of Humorous Quotations (Esar Bentley) quotes Shaw as saying: "England and America are two countries separated by the same language", but without giving a source. It had earlier been attributed to Shaw in Reader's Digest.
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Divided by a common language - a light hearted look at linguistic differences across the Atlantic

Page: 1/3

by Val Boyko, Coach and Intercultural Specialist

The Irish writer George Bernard Shaw once said: "England and America are two countries divided by a common language". Most English speaking people don't realize how great the differences are between British English and American English. I certainly didn't until I moved to the US over 10 years ago. That was when I was surprised to discover that we do speak a different language. Did you know that there are over 4000 words in everyday use in the United States that are not in British English? That's a lot! Words like "bleachers", "busboy", "podiatrist", "odometer", "valance" and, one of my favorites, "rutabaga" were all completely foreign to me.
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"The British and Americans are divided by a common language" - George Bernard Shaw

• [Ads-l] Quote: We are two peoples separated by a common language ADSGarson O'Toole
• [Ads-l] Quote: We are two peoples separated by a common language Joel Berson
• [Ads-l] Quote: We are two peoples separated by a common language ADSGarson O'Toole

• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Stephen Goranson
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Shapiro, Fred
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Baker, John
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Stephen Goranson
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Garson O'Toole
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Stephen Goranson
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Joel S. Berson
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Neal Whitman
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Garson O'Toole
• "we are two peoples separated by a common language" antedated & attributed Laurence Horn

• Nominations: Separated by a Common Language Words of the Year Lynne Murphy

• A nation divided by a common language Wilson Gray

• A nation divided by a common language Jonathan Lighter
• A nation divided by a common language Eric Nielsen

• Two other countries separated by a common language Chris F Waigl
• Two other countries separated by a common language Laurence Horn
• Two other countries separated by a common language Joel S. Berson
• Two other countries separated by a common language Chris F Waigl
• Two other countries separated by a common language Mark Sacks
• Two other countries separated by a common language Doug Harris
• Two other countries separated by a common language Lynne Murphy
• Two other countries separated by a common language Arnold M. Zwicky
• Two other countries separated by a common language ronbutters
• Two other countries separated by a common language ronbutters
• Two other countries separated by a common language David Donnell
• Two other countries separated by a common language Chris F Waigl
• Two other countries separated by a common language Jim Parish
• Two other countries separated by a common language Laurence Horn
• Two other countries separated by a common language Dennis Preston
• Two other countries separated by a common language Dennis Preston
• Two other countries separated by a common language Seán Fitzpatrick
• Two other countries separated by a common language Cohen, Gerald Leonard
• Two other countries separated by a common language Joel S. Berson
• Two other countries separated by a common language Wilson Gray
• Two other countries separated by a common language Cohen, Gerald Leonard
• Two other countries separated by a common language Wilson Gray

• Two other countries separated by a common language Wilson Gray
• Two other countries separated by a common language Benjamin Barrett
• Two other countries separated by a common language Wilson Gray
• Two other countries separated by a common language Benjamin Barrett
• Two other countries separated by a common language Doug Harris
• Two other countries separated by a common language Doug Harris
• Two other countries separated by a common language Wilson Gray
• Two other countries separated by a common language Benjamin Barrett
• Two other countries separated by a common language Paul Johnston
• Two other countries separated by a common language Benjamin Barrett
• Two other countries separated by a common language Doug Harris
• Two other countries separated by a common language Wilson Gray

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

George Bernard Shaw

Britain and America Are Two Nations Divided by a Common Language

George Bernard Shaw? Mallory Browne? Raymond Gram Swing? Apocryphal?

Dear Quote Investigator: The influential Irish playwright and commentator George Bernard Shaw has been credited with a humorous remark about language. Here are four versions:

• 1) Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language.
• 2) The English and Americans are two peoples divided by a common language.
• 3) England and America are two countries separated by one language.
• 4) The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by the same language.

Would you please explore the provenance of this expression?

Quote Investigator: In 1887 the Irish playwright and wit Oscar Wilde published a short story called “The Canterville Ghost”. While describing one of the main characters, the narrator included a comical remark contrasting England and America that was similar to the saying under examination.
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What is the origin of the phrase "two nations divided by a common language"?

‘Was it Wilde or Shaw?’ The answer appears to be: both. In The Canterville Ghost (1887), Wilde wrote: ‘We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language’. However, the 1951 Treasury of Humorous Quotations (Esar & Bentley) quotes Shaw as saying: ‘England and America are two countries separated by the same language’, but without giving a source. The quote had earlier been attributed to Shaw in Reader’s Digest (November 1942).
...

Two nations divided by a common language

Oscar Wilde claimed that "the Americans and the British are identical in all respects except, of course, their language" while around the same time Henry Sweet predicted that within 100 years American and British English would be mutually unintelligible.
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"Lickety splits: two nations divided by a common language"

In The Canterville Ghost (1887), Oscar Wilde wrote: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language."
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Noah Webster's “The American Spelling Book”

(from Open Library)

George Bernard Shaw (or possibly Oscar Wilde or Dylan Thomas or even Winston Churchill, the attribution is unclear) once quipped that "England and America are two countries separated by a common language", and part of the reason for the differences between the two versions of English lies in the American proclivity for reform and simplification of the language. In the 1760s, Benjamin Franklin campaigned vigorously for the reform of spelling (he advocated the discontinuation of the “unnecessary letters “c”, “w”, “y” and “j” and the addition of six new letters), as later did Noah Webster and Mark Twain. To be fair, there were also calls for reform in Britain, including from such literary luminaries as Alfred Lord Tennyson, Arthur Conan Doyle, George Bernard Shaw and even Charles Darwin, although the British efforts generally had little or no effect.

Both Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster were totally convinced that American English would evolve into a completely separate language. Towards the end of the 19th Century, the English linguist Henry Sweet predicted that, within a century, “England, America and Australia will be speaking mutually unintelligible languages, owing to their independent changes of pronunciation” (as it has turned out, with the development of instantaneous global communications, the different dialects seem likely to converge rather than diverge, and American economic and cultural dominance is increasingly apparent in both British and, particularly. Australian speech and usage).

Noah Webster is often credited with single-handedly changing American spelling, particularly through his dictionaries:

• “The American Spelling Book” (first published in 1788, although it ran to at least 300 editions over the period between 1788 and 1829, and became probably the best selling book in American history after “The Bible”),
• “The Compendious Dictionary of the English Language” (1806), and
• “The American Dictionary of the English Language” (1828).

In fact, many of the changes he put forward in his dictionaries were already underway in America (e.g. the spelling of "theater" and "center" instead of "theatre" and "centre") and many others may well have happened anyway. But he was largely responsible for the revised spelling of words like "color" and "honor" (instead of the British "colour" and "honour"), "traveler" and "jeweler" (for "traveller" and "jeweller"), "check" and "mask" (for "cheque" and "masque"), "defense" and "offense" (for "defence" and "offence"), "plow" for "plough", as well as the rather illogical adoption of "aluminum" instead of "aluminium".

Many of Webster’s more radical spelling recommendations (e.g. "soop", "groop", "bred", "wimmen", "fether", "fugitiv", "tuf", "thum", "hed", "bilt", "tung", "fantom", "croud", "ile", "definit", "examin", "medicin", etc) were largely ignored, as were most of his suggested pronunciation suggestions (e.g. "deef" for "deaf", "booty" for "beauty", "nater" for "nature", etc), although he was responsible for the current American pronunciations of words like "schedule" and "lieutenant". Webster also claimed to have invented words such as "demoralize", "appreciation", "accompaniment", "ascertainable" and "expenditure", even though these words had actually been in use for some centuries.

For many Americans, like Webster, taking ownership of the language and developing what would become known as American Standard English was seen as a matter of "honour" ("honor") for the newly independent nation. But such reforms were fiercely criticized in Britain, and even in America a so-called "Dictionary War" ensued between supporters of Webster's Americanism and the more conservative British-influenced approach of Joseph Worcester and others. When the Merriam brothers bought the rights to Webster’s dictionaries and produced the first Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1847, they actually expunged most of Webster’s more radical spelling and pronunciation ideas, and the work (and its subsequent versions) became an instant success. In 1906, the American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie tried to resurrect some of Webster’s reforms. He contributed large sums of money towards the Simplified Spelling Board, which resulted in the American adoption of the simpler spellings of words such as "ax", "judgment", "catalog", "program", etc. President Theodore Roosevelt agreed to use these spellings for all federal publications and they quickly caught on, although there was still stiff resistance to such recommended changes as "tuf", "def", "troble", "yu", "filosofy", etc.
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Candlepower - Ad and marketing creatives

Plimsolls on Offer: British Borrowings in U.S. Marketing Speak

November 19, 2014

By Nancy Friedman

The old adage about American and England being "two nations divided by a common language" — wrongly attributed to George Bernard Shaw, who never said or wrote it — may still hold true in some quarters. But in the language of U.S. commerce, it's fast losing its relevance. Terms that once seemed quaintly Olde English to Americans — from "bespoke" to "stockist" — are fast becoming the new normal.

True, the word exchange has thrived in the other direction for years. American-linguist-in-the-UK Lynne Murphy, who blogs at "Separated by a Common Language", has documented the encroachment of "cookie" (instead of "biscuit"), "Black Friday" (the shopping frenzy on the day after Thanksgiving, a holiday that doesn't exist in the UK), and other Americanisms into British English. To British ears, the American words often represent modernity or brashness. British imports, by contrast, are often employed for the opposite reason: to sound old, established, or "classy". Then again, sometimes a Britishism simply fills a gap in the language for which there's no adequate American equivalent.
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Numbers: US vs. UK

Posted by grantbarrett on July 22, 2016 · Add Comment

Those of us in the United States and Britain may be separated by a common language, but we’re also separated when it comes to how we indicate numbers. A Numberphile video featuring linguist Lynne Murphy explains this in more depth. This is part of a complete episode.

Dressed to the nines (W3)

Somebody who is "dressed to the nines" or "dressed up to the nines" is dressed to perfection or superlatively dressed. Writers have run up a whole wardrobe-full of ideas about where the expression comes from, which indicates clearly enough that nobody really knows for sure.
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Eine kluge Frage ist die Hälfte des Wissens
Prudens interrogatio quasi dimidium scientiae (W3)

The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907-21).
Vol. 4. Prose and Poetry: Sir Thomas North to Michael Drayton.
XIV. The Beginnings of English Philosophy.
Bibliography.
FRANCIS BACON
Philosophical Works (Spedding’s arrangement)
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Einführung Proseminar: Francis Bacon, Novum Organon
Dr. Timm Lampert, Universität Bern
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Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
Bacon, Francis (lat. "Baco von Verulam"), geb. 22. Januar 1561 in London als Sohn eines hohen Beamten, studierte in Cambridge, widmete sich der Jurisprudenz, wurde Kronanwalt, Mitglied des Parlaments; 1618 wurde er Lordkanzler und "Baron von Verulam", dann "Viscount von St. Albans". Er wurde (1621) der Bestechlichkeit beschuldigt und (vom Parlament) zu einer großen Geldstrafe und zum Verlust seiner Ämter verurteilt. Vom König (Jacob) begnadigt, lebte er nur noch wissenschaftlichen Studien und starb am 9. April 1626 zu Highate bei London. Sein Charakter war, wenn auch bei weitem kein fleckenloser, doch nicht so schlimm, als es oft behauptet wurde.
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English (W3)

Fluch der Pharaonen (W3)

goethesociety
Goethe-Zitate auf Englisch

WORKS

• Faust. Part I - Goethe’s retelling of the classic Faust legend and the crowning achievement of his literary output. From the Harvard Classics, Vol. XIX, Part 1.
• Egmont - Count Egmont leads an ultimately tragic rebellion against Spanish rule in The Netherlands. From the Harvard Classics, Vol. XIX, Part 3.
• Hermann and Dorothea - This “novelette in verse” tells the story of a young girl who finds love after fleeing the chaos of the French Revolution. From the Harvard Classics, Vol. XIX, Part 4.
• - Introduction to the Propyläen - From the Harvard Classics, Vol. XXXIX.
• Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship - From the Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction, Vol. XIV.
• The Sorrows of Werther - From the Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction, Vol. XV, Part 1.
• Bartlett’s Goethe Quotations - Epitomal selections by John Bartlett.

John Bartlett (1820-1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. (1749-1832)

Head over heels (W3)

We are so conditioned by our knowledge of idioms that we rarely stop to think about what they really mean. This example is more than a little weird when you do so - what's so strange about having one's head over one's heels? We do, after all, spend most of our waking lives in that position.
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isms
What is an ism?

"Isms" are the things the people really say when they open their mouths and speak without first engaging their brains .

lettersofnote
Letters of Note

Letters of Note is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Scans/photos where possible. Fakes will be sneered at. Updated as often as possible; usually each weekday.

Archive

Welcome to the Letters of Note archives. Current population: 661 letters. Here you'll find six ways to navigate the ever-growing collection. In addition, both a search function and list of popular entries can be found in the right-hand sidebar.

Please note: this page will be manually updated once per week, so bear with me should newer letters not appear.

Enjoy.

1. Browse by correspondence type:

Letter; Memo; Telegram; Fax

2. Browse by writing method:

Typewritten; Handwritten

3. Browse by date of correspondence:

2000+; 1990s; 1980s; 1970s; 1960s; 1950s; 1940s; 1930s; 1920s; 1910s; 1900-09; 1800s; 1700s; 1600s; Pre-1600

4. Browse the following categories of correspondence:

Advice; Anger; Animation; Apology; Art; Authors; Cinema; Coded Correspondence; Comics; Complaint; Controversial; Crime; Death; Disney; Fan Letters; Form Letters; Humorous; Illustrated Letters; Kids; Love; Music; Politics; Racism; Religion; Request; Sad; Science; Sexism; Sport; Star Trek; Suicide; Superman; Technology; Thank You; War

5. Browse correspondence written by, to, or about, the following notable people (listed alphabetically, by first name):

• A: Abraham Lincoln; Adolf Hitler; Agatha Christie; Al Capone; Al Capp; Al Feldstein; Al Franken; Al Hirschfeld; Al Parker; Al Sharpton; Alan Moore; Alan Shepard; Albert Einstein; Aldous Huxley; Aldrich Ames; Alec Guiness; Alex Haley; Alex Toth; Alfred Hitchcock; Alfred Kahn; Alfred Nobel; Amelia Earhart; Andy Kaufman; Andy Warhol; Annie Oakley; Arthur C. Clarke; Arthur Conan Doyle; Audrey Hepburn
• B: Barack Obama; Barbara Bush; Benjamin Franklin; Bennett Cerf; Berkeley Breathed; Bertrand Russell; Betty Ford; ; Bill Gates; Bill Hicks; Bill O'Reilly; Bill Watterson; Billie Joe; Billy The Kid; Billy Wilder; Bill Zaboly; Bob Dylan; Bob Fitzsimmons; Bob Hope; Bonnie Parker; Brad Bird; Brian Wilson; Bruce Lee; Bruce Springsteen; Buckminster Fuller; Buddy Holly; Buzz Aldrin
• C: Carl Sagan; Caroll Spinney; Cary Grant; Charles Darwin; Charles Dodgson; Charles Schulz; Charlie Chaplin; Charlie Parker; Charlie Sheen; Charles Bukowski; Christa McAuliffe; Christopher Reeve; Christopher Walken; Chuck Jones; Chuck Palahniuk; Clint Eastwood; Clyde Barrow; Coleman Hawkins; Colin Chapman; Conan O'Brien; Connie Booth; Corey Feldman; Courtney Love; C. S. Lewis
• D: Daisy Bates; Dave Grohl; David Attenborough; David Ben Gurion; David Berkowitz; David Bowie; David Foster Wallace; David Koresh; David Lean; David Letterman; David Selznick; David Swift; Diana Vreeland; Diego Rivera; Donna Reed; Dorothy Parker; Dr. Seuss; Dwight D. Eisenhower
• E: E. B. White; E. C. Segar; Edgar Allen Poe; Edgar Rice Burroughs; Edith Shain; Elizabeth Taylor; Elton John; Elvis Presley; Enid Blyton; Ernest Hemingway; Errol Morris; Ezra Pound
• F: F. Scott Fitzgerald; Federico Fellini; Fidel Castro; Forrest Ackerman; Francis Ford Coppola; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Frank Lloyd Wright; Frank Sinatra; Frank Zappa; Franz Kafka; Fred Astaire; Freddie Mercury; Frederick Banting; Frida Kahlo
• G: Galileo Galilei; Gene Roddenberry; George Bernard Shaw; George Bush Snr; George Carlin; George Eastman; George Harrison; George Lucas; George Michael; George Washington; Gerald Ford; Gertrude Stein; Gil Scott-Heron; Glenn Beck; Graham Chapman; Grant Wood; Groucho Marx; Gutzon Borglum; Guy Fawkes
• H: H. G. Wells; H. L. Mencken; H. R. Giger; H. Rider Haggard; Hank Ketcham; Hank Williams; Harlan Ellison; Harold Gray; Harold Macmillan; Harold Pinter; Harper Lee; Harry Allen Smith; Harry Houdini; Harry Truman; Harvey Milk; Harvey Weinstein; Helen Keller; Henry Flipper; Henry Mancini; Henry Miller; Henry Rollins; Henry VIII; Herbert Hoover; Howard Hughes; Hugh Hefner; Hugh Laurie; Hunter S. Thompson
• I: Ian Fleming; Ian McEwan; Iggy Pop; Ingmar Bergman;Ingrid Bergman; Isaac Asimov
• J: J. K. Rowling; Jac Holzman; Jackie Robinson; Jack Kerouac; Jack The Ripper; Jack Vance; Jacqueline Kennedy; James Brown; James Cameron; James Dean; James Randi; Jane Austen; J. D. Salinger; J. Edgar Hoover; Jeff Buckley; Jerry Siegel; Jerzy Kosinski; Jesse Owens; Jimi Hendrix; Jim Jones; Jim Morrison; Jim Murray; Jimmy Carter; Jim Shooter; Joan of Arc; Jochen Rindt; Jodie Foster; Joe Biden; Joe DiMaggio; Joe Strummer; John Ashcroft; John Byrne; John Candy; John Cleese; John Cocteau; John Dillinger; John F. Kennedy; John Gotti; John Hinkley; John Irving; John Keats; John Kricfalusi; John Lennon; John Lydon; John Peel; John McCain; John Updike; John Wayne; Johnny Cash; Johnny Depp; John Steinbeck; Joseph Ratzinger; J. R. R. Tolkien; Julie Schwartz
• K: Keith Haring; Ken Kesey; Kenneth Grahame; King Vidor; Kirk Douglas; Kurt Cobain; Kurt Vonnegut
• L: Larry Flynt; Laura Huxley; Lee Marvin; Lenny Bruce; Leonard Bernstein; Leonard Lyons; Leonard Nimoy; Lester Bangs; Linda Lovelace; Lindsay Lohan; Lou Gehrig; Louis Armstrong; Lucy Lippard; Ludwig van Beethoven; Luke Wilson; Lyndon B. Johnson
• M: Madonna; Malcom X; Marc Bolan; Margaret Thatcher; Marilyn Monroe; Mario Puzo; Mark Chapman; Marlon Brando; Martin Luther King; Mary Stuart; Matt Groening; Matt Stone; Max Steiner; Mia Farrow; Michael Jackson; Michael Jordan; Michael Parkinson; Mick Jagger; Mickey Mantle; Mickey Rourke; Mike Royko; Mira Sorvino; Mitch Hedberg; Mohandas Gandhi; Monica Lewinsky; Morrissey; Moses Soyer; Muhammad Ali; Myra Hindley
• N: Nancy Spero; Neil Armstrong; Nikola Tesla; Norman Rockwell
• O: Oliver Hardy; Orson Welles; Oscar Wilde; Owen Chamberlain; Owen Wilson
• P: Pablo Picasso; Patrick Stewart; Paul Keating; Paul McCartney; Paul Newman; Pete Docter; Phil Hartman; Philip K. Dick; Prince; Princess Diana
• Q: Quentin Tarantino; Queen Victoria
• R: Ralph Emerson; Ralph Steadman; Ray Bradbury; Richard Chopping; Richard Dawkins; Richard Feynman; Richard Herring; Richard Nixon; Richard Williams; Rik Mayall; Rita Hayworth; Roald Dahl; Robert Baden-Powell; Robert Bly; Robert Heinlein; Robert Scott; Rocky Marciano; Roman Bohnen; Ronald Reagan; Roseanne Barr
• S: Saddam Hussein; Salman Rushdie; Sammy Davis Jr.; Samuel Morse; Shel Dorf; Sid Vicious; Sigmund Freud; Slash; Sonny Rollins; Spike Milligan; Stan Laurel; Stan Lee; Stephen Fry; Stephen Hawking; Stephen King; Stephen Wolfram; Steve Allen; Steve Jobs; Steve Martin; Steve McQueen; Steve Rude; Steve Vai; Steven Spielberg; Stewart Lee; Stuart Sutcliffe; Syd Barrett; Sylvester Stallone
• T: Tatum O'Neal; Ted Hughes; Tennessee Williams; Terry Gilliam; Tex Avery; Theodore Geisel; Theodore Roosevelt; Thom Yorke; Thomas Edison; Thomas Pynchon; Tim Burton; Tom Waits; Tony Wilson; T. S. Eliot
• U: Upton Sinclair
• V: Victor Hugo; Vince Colletta; Vincent Price; Vincent van Gogh; Virgina Woolf
• W: Walt Disney; Walt Whitman; Walter Lantz; Ward Kimball; Warren Buffett; W. C. Fields; William Burroughs; William Marston; William Safire; William McKinley; William Steig; Wil Wheaton; Winston Churchill; Winston Smith
• Y: Yann Martel; Yoko Ono
• Z: Zach Galifianakis

6. Finally, a list of all letters published so far, beginning with the most recently featured:

November 2012

• 8th: The sacrifice is not in vain
• 7th: Please advise
• 6th: Our differences unite us
• 6th: Time & the hour run through the roughest day
• 1st: Vast riddles

October 2012

• 30th: They surely are not violent
• 29th: Hardcase Survival Pinto Bean Sludge
• 26th: Why I am an Atheist
• 25th: Another link is broken
• 24th: Please design me a dog house
• 23rd: I am a human being
• 22nd: Our Frank
• 18th: People simply empty out
• 17th: Regarding your Hampton Wick
• 16th: How I would like to work for you!
• 15th: Some things should happen on soft pages, not cold metal
• 12th: Everything comes to an end
• 11th: I beg you to take my child
• 10th: Damn you all to hell
• 9th: I was meant to be a composer
• 8th: Here the roads seem to fork
• 5th: Book-banners are invariably idiots
• 3rd: I'm still someplace
• 2nd: The Beauty of Words
• 1st: The Heinlein Maneuver

September 2012

• 28th: All prizes, like all titles, are dangerous
• 27th: My wick hath a thief in it
• 26th: Your road manager needs a POKE
• 25th: This, sir, is my resignation
• 21st: The Vision of Sin
• 19th: Sin-sationally, Mae West
• 18th: What do I want in a doctor?
• 17th: What a world
• 14th: There is no money in answering letters
• 13th: A degenerate sort of cult
• 12th: Please send in your letters
• 11th: Live like a mighty river
• 7th: Sympathy begins at home
• 6th: How could you go ahead of me?
• 5th: I have not shot her yet
• 4th: First you have to kick my arse
• 3rd: I shall always be with you

August 2012

• 31st: If ever an actor can do it - Gene can
• 30th: Think of my programmes as your research department
• 29th: Shall we go together & look for her?
• 22nd: Your pal, Lorne Michaels
• 21st: I am desperate to have some real fun
• 20th: The morning mail is my enemy
• 17th: A vampire in striped pajamas
• 16th: I am in a state of shock
• 14th: The Battle of the Bitches
• 13th: Come here father
• 10th: What did you say? I can't hear you…
• 9th: You are not so kind as you used to be
• 7th: You crack dealing piece of trash
• 6th: Why Explore Space?
• 3rd: The Great Sex Letter
• 2nd: This is my last visit
• 1st: To Hell with Hitler

July 2012

• 31st: You are truly wonderful
• 30th: Whatever you like doing, do it!
• 26th: The proverbial "really good" sci-fi movie
• 25th: This is my son. He speaks Greek.
• 24th: Tolstoy wasn't Sendak, either
• 23th: Sure, go ahead
• 29rd: You've got to sell your heart
• 17th: John is an admirable name
• 13th: I'm unhappy, hope you're unhappy too
• 12th: Regarding your dam complaint
• 11th: let me begin by not beginnin
• 10th: Think always of me
• 9th: Letter to a Young Poet
• 5th: Oh my ass burns like fire!
• 4th: Must be raining in this old bunkhouse
• 3rd: The novel is a wonder
• 2nd: A gap-toothed & hoary-headed ape

June 2012

• 29th: Sex does not thrive on monotony
• 28th: Cowboys must be deranged
• 27th: Oh Christ, the cook is dead
• 26th: We have listened long enough to the pessimists
• 25th: Getting Star Trek on the air was impossible
• 23rd: Yours in distress, Alan
• 22nd: I shall be waiting for you
• 21st: I have now no further use for a birthday
• 20th: Are you supposed to be normal?
• 19th: My mother declared my bedroom a disaster area
• 18th: We're sorry you've been misled
• 15th: Steve, I've got news
• 14th: If I’m not a writer then I’m nothing
• 13rd: 'Music is 'life it'self
• 12th: Part of this world, part of another
• 11th: They pay brisk money for this crap?
• 8th: I AM the boss
• 7th: I feel every cut
• 6th: All of my friends were on the shelves above
• 6th: He's here, living and vivid and unforgettable forever
• 1st: The most beautiful work of all

May 2012

• 31st: Mrs. Sinclair Lewis to you
• 30th: The spectacle sickened me
• 28th: My dungeon shook
• 25th: Airman Thompson
• 24th: I do not apologize for myself nor my fears
• 22nd: I am greatly troubled by what you say
• 21st: You are not lazy, and still you are an idler
• 18th: Dear Einstein, Do Scientists Pray?
• 17th: It has never got easier
• 16th: Love, Dad
• 15th: The real heroes are the parents
• 14th: Ought women not to be abolished altogether?
• 11th: Thank you, Mr. Hitchcock
• 10th: DO NOT be so bloody vulnerable
• 9th: The bulk of all human utterances is plagiarism
• 8th: stay away from microwaves
• 7th: A pantomime Aslan would be blasphemy
• 4th: John Cleese vs The Sun
• 3rd: Iorz feixfuli, M. J. Yilz
• 2nd: Hitchcock for Bond?
• 1st: I refuse to be cheated out of my deathbed scene

April 2012

• 30th: Bill Hicks on Freedom of Speech
• 27th: Greetings Worm
• 26th: The problem is one of illiteracy, not Marxism
• 25th: Forget your personal tragedy
• 24th: American democracy will have disappeared
• 20th: God damn it, I split it so it will stay split
• 19th: It is only adults who ever feel threatened
• 18th: Illiterately yours
• 17th: Things will just get better and better
• 16th: The end of the world of books
• 13th: He has nothing left but his poker
• 12th: Keep Bill Wyman away from Keith
• 11th: He is called Mick Jagger
• 10th: You must deliver marketable goods
• 6th: Be Prepared
• 5th: I do not like scolding people
• 4th: The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• 3rd: C. S. Lewis on Writing
• 2nd: Love is love, and there will never be too much

March 2012

• 30th: I am very real
• 29th: You are mistaken in calling it a novel
• 28th: The Skills of Da Vinci
• 27th: You children write illiterate letters
• 26th: His heart is not in his work
• 23rd: With all my heart and soul
• 22nd: Your disgusted so-called father
• 21st: Things to worry about
• 20th: Sorrow passes and we remain
• 19th: Intolerable Ignorance
• 16th: Respected Paternal Relative
• 15th: E. B. White on the Free Press
• 13th: I like words
• 12th: Butt-Head Astronomer
• 9th: Scientifically yours
• 8th: Remember the Ladies
• 7th: I have no ancestors of that gifted people
• 6th: 1984 v. Brave New World
• 5th: The Empire State Building
• 2nd: No Ovaries Removed
• 1st: You will then know how to talke to me

February 2012

• 29th: A book is like a man
• 28th: Will you please have his place raided?
• 27th: Deep sickness seized me
• 24th: I am your fellow man, but not your slave
• 22nd: I should like more money
• 21st: Jelly-boned swines
• 17th: Go easy with my money
• 16th: Interviews are pure twaddle
• 15th: I love my wife. My wife is dead.
• 14th: I feel happy tonight
• 13th: Never from so many at once
• 10th: The love of a parasite is worth nothing
• 9th: I shall always be near you
• 8th: The suspense was unbearable
• 7th: Happy Birthday, Dickens
• 6th: My muse is not a horse
• 3rd: Nor was there a stock comedy Negro
• 2nd: She doesn't answer the phone
• 1st: Damn

January 2012

• 31st: On the Meaning of Life
• 30th: To My Old Master
• 27th: To the next Burglar
• 26th: Thou eunuch of language
• 25th: May the muses embrace you
• 24th: I am a lousy copywriter
• 23rd: Something extraordinary
• 20th: The other guy just blinked
• 19th: Our little baby is dead
• 18th: Dear Son
• 17th: We both share the same goal
• 16th: I know what love is
• 13th: For Aspiring Editors
• 12th: I know, Mother, I know
• 11th: Nothing good gets away
• 10th: Aida will gather dust in the archives
• 9th: A flabby mass of cliches
• 8th: DON'T EVER STOP
• 6th: Wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day
• 5th: Like all frauds, your end is approaching
• 3rd: Scratching the Back of the Hand that Feeds You
• 2nd: New Year Greetings

December 2011

• 21st: Stick them in your ear
• 20th: I would like to get out of this world
• 19th: It's just terrific
• 16th: America is pretty empty without you kids
• 15th: You are now my Enemy
• 14th: A bag of wind
• 13th: Why don't you write a story?
• 12th: From your friend "Babe" Ruth
• 9th: The Heroes of Our Time
• 8th: Herbs is his Majesty's
• 7th: Don't say it
• 6th: Advice from Harper Lee
• 5th Your Anonymous Godard
• 2nd: Space: The Final Frontier
• 1st: Stephen Hawking on Time Travel

November 2011

• 30th: Pornography is an attitude and an intention
• 29th: Thanks for being my Dad
• 25th: Dear Princeton Law School
• 24th: When are you going to release my film?
• 22nd: HAVE SECURED CONTRACT FOR BEATLES
• 21st: A letter of thanks from Gil Scott-Heron
• 18th: Here are the pictures
• 17th: Dear Bob
• 16th: Dear Mr. Vonnegut
• 15th: When Einstein wrote to Gandhi
• 14th: It is the woman who pays
• 11th: I was 2 busy listening 2 the grass grow
• 10th: The delusion
• 9th: Some Thoughts on Our Business
• 8th: Your loving son, Jimi
• 7th: Somehow the possibilities seem endless
• 3rd: Everyone has to be a child
• 2nd: I wanted to be a nun or a movie star
• 1st: the price for ridding society of bad is always high

October 2011

• 31st: THE INFERNAL MACHINE
• 28th: The Case of the Difficult Dressing Gowns
• 27th: Who do you think you are -- Marilyn Monroe?
• 26th: Burst through its bars
• 25th: Reviews were angry and childish
• 24th: Sadness is a strange companion
• 21st: We were both asleep when the boat hit
• 20th: Attempted Fax Cover Sheet
• 19th: My belly is too much swelling with jackfruit
• 18th: Charles Bukowski on Censorship
• 17th: Please don't give in
• 14th: Don't hesitate - Do it now!
• 13th: Dejobbed, bewifed, and much childrenised
• 12th: Everyone should have a reserve
• 11th: I am so lonely I can hardly bear it
• 10th: You are the future. You can make a difference.
• 7th: We want more Coca Cola
• 6th: Keep the faith!
• 4th: Dearest Andy
• 3rd: Good Bye, Son

September 2011

• 30th: It's more likely that I was doing 911km/h
• 29th: Each of you is special just because you're you
• 28th: Please ask Ike to bring Elvis back
• 27th: Marlon I respect you enormously
• 26th: My Pilot days are closing in
• 23rd: The Nevermind Happy Meal
• 22nd: I love life too much
• 20th: HOPE THEY KEEP YOU
• 19th: With great respect, Marge Simpson
• 16th: Love music
• 15th: You are the hippest of cats
• 14th: That man basked in your light
• 13th: SEVEN LITTLE MEN HELP A GIRL
• 12th: The ring of fire still burns around you and I
• 9th: We're 2!
• 8th: COME AT ONCE HANK IS DEAD
• 7th: He is talented to the point of genius
• 6th: We must stop not meeting like this
• 5th: I am gratefuler than ever before...
• 1st: Dear Loser

August 2011

• 31st: Thank you for the dream
• 30th: Make me proud
• 29th: The Beatles was too much
• 26th: For your confidential information
• 25th: Handy Nervous Breakdown Avoider
• 24th: COPY TO HUGH HEFNER
• 23rd: POSSIBLE ACTIONS TO PROVOKE, HARRASS, OR DISRUPT CUBA
• 22nd: My work is done. Why wait?
• 19th: ENERGY EQUALS MASS TIMES THE SPEED OF LIGHT SQUARED
• 18th: The Factory
• 17th: Sweetheart come
• 16th: Amateur comedy is too "On the nail"
• 15th: To Our Very Best Pal JOHN WAYNE (Or Occupant)
• 12th: I NEED TO TELL YOU MY EMOTION
• 11th: Many times I have kissed and cryed over this
• 9th: We were not found wanting
• 8th: I have no personal knowledge of computers

July 2011

• 27th: I pity you
• 26th: The princess has arrested me
• 25th: Jam this morbid drivel up your ass
• 22nd: The Internet Tidal Wave
• 21st: Subject: Toilet Paper
• 20th: Long may the Grand Master live
• 19th: You are scum
• 18th: Cannes is a place of mental humiliation
• 15th: The Sale of Manhattan
• 14th: I will treasure your letter
• 13th: I am ashamed to share membership of the same party...
• 12th: I need a monkey
• 11th: Our total love for you is everlasting
• 8th: We get a kick outa being flattered!
• 7th: You are the greatest film-maker at work today
• 6th: I have just written you a long letter
• 5th: I was sickeningly awful
• 4th: PERSIST
• 1st: Try again, won't you?

June 2011

• 30th: Please don't let this go to your head
• 29th: EGO-EGO-EGO!!!!
• 28th: I await you Hollywood feverishly
• 27th: Critics are venomous serpents that delight in hissing
• 24th: There is no way to replace Walt Disney
• 22nd: Keep drawing
• 21st: North Polar Bear's leg got broken
• 20th: You're a schmuck
• 17th: I can't look you in the voice
• 16th: SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO PLAYERS
• 15th: Gee whiz, that master alarm certainly startled me
• 14th: Dear Marty, it is a stunning script
• 13th: And then...silence
• 10th: Immortal Beloved
• 9th: I cannot remain silent
• 8th: Your ever gracious tenant, Bruce Springsteen
• 7th: It is a good thing to be laughed at
• 6th; You are directly responsible for the loss of our son's life
• 3rd: The human race is incurably idiotic
• 2nd: You are an "eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay."
• 1st May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?

May 2011

• 31st: Thank you for not hitting me
• 27th: I'm 82 and hate it!
• 26th: Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Me
• 25th: It can never be as bad in fiction as it is in real life
• 24th: People are more interested in Apocalypse Now than the Holy Ghost
• 23rd: John Denver's Nightmare
• 20th: Take the world by the tail
• 19th: It wasn't a rip off; it was a love in
• 18th: Permission to Synchronise
• 17th: I have no interest in you or your life
• 16th: Your happiness means my happiness
• 13th: I would like to point out...
• 12th: The links between science fiction & science are well established
• 11th: It's better to burn out than to fade away
• 10th: Rock on Sarah!
• 9th: I write for myself and I'll say anything I damn well please
• 6th: A library is many things
• 5th: I am volunteering for the "Man in Space" program
• 4th: This is Kurt Vonnegut, reporting from the afterlife
• 3rd: I want us to break up the act
• 2nd: To my family - from Dad

April 2011

• 29th: The romantic Mr Carlin
• 28th: Jim is fundamentally a respectable citizen
• 27th: My favourite feature is the Obituary department
• 26th: On bureaucratese and gobbledygook
• 25th: In memory of a once fluid man
• 22nd: Tchaikovsky was an awesome composer
• 21st: My husband John Lennon was a very special man
• 20th: 11 ALIVE...NEED SMALL BOAT...KENNEDY
• 19th: We are standing on the threshold of Great events!
• 18th: Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world
• 15th: GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL
• 14th: You're a liar and a fraud
• 13th: As soon as I stop speaking the pearls disappear
• 12th: What great births you have witnessed!
• 11th: love, thom
• 8th: Tell me, what is a "she-male?"
• 7th: This "evil" was the greatest which can befall a man
• 6th: Finished with the War: A Soldier’s Declaration
• 5th: Don't disgust me, please
• 4th: I am only 6 but I think I can do this job
• 1st: Shame on you Mr. Beck

March 2011

• 31st: I think I no how to make people or animals alive
• 30th: I may be killed in my attempt to get Reagan
• 29th: The tracks sound terrific so far, especially King Bee
• 28th: I expect you to correct your work-ethic immediately
• 25th: Society has no business to permit degenerates to reproduce their kind
• 24th: The vilest book that exists in print
• 23rd: Don't get pompous with me
• 22nd: A promise is a promise!
• 21st: Permission to land
• 18th: Sorry about your tape
• 17th: I will always be grateful for your courageous action
• 16th: My Definite Chief Aim
• 15th: Part of playing for high stakes under great pressure is the constant risk of mental error
• 14th: Best wishes my dear friend
• 11th: We are the suicide beat of the NON-GENERATION
• 10th: I dare you all, test your strength: Open a book.
• 9th: If membership is restricted to men, the loss will be ours
• 8th: Buttocks or Crotch?
• 7th: Forget the impeachment of President Nixon...
• 4th: Seat 29E
• 3rd: The Court would like to balance the scales
• 2nd: Is there a Hustler for kids?
• 1st: The Birth of Steampunk

February 2011

• 28th: Be your own self. Love what YOU love.
• 25th: Scientists have a special responsibility
• 24th: Older mistresses are so grateful!!
• 23rd: The Giant Zlig
• 22nd: You were of course the outstanding candidate
• 21st: I had no idea that the City of Casablanca belonged exclusively to Warner Bros.
• 18th: I had to turn down BLACK SPRING
• 17th: Love, the anti-christ
• 16th: I love my Muppet life
• 14th: Regarding your stupid complaint
• 11th: You have something graceful and tender and feminine
• 10th: siseneG
• 9th: The Grateful Dead has many problems
• 8th: What Makes Nancy So Great, by Sidney
• 7th: Mia's Haircut
• 4th: Darling Goodnight and Goodbye
• 3rd: Love, Buddy
• 2nd: Mickey Mantle's outstanding experience at Yankee Stadium
• 1st: Hardly one copy would sell here. Hardly one. Hardly one.

January 2011

• 31st: A Not-so-fond Farewell
• 28th: Men are climbing to the moon but they don't seem interested in the beating human heart
• 27th: You can beat it just like I did
• 26th: I'm the nurse in your famous shot
• 25th: A Plea for a raise, By Jack Kennedy
• 24th: I do not feel that Madonna is ready yet
• 21st: However, since you are twelve...
• 20th: I'm sending you a poem
• 19th: I think that 'She' is worth 20 K. S. Mines
• 18th: Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Me
• 17th: I'll be waiting to see your names someday on the big screen
• 13th: We will never get past Viet Nam if we sweep it under the carpet
• 12th: A lot of people believe that beauty is some kind of conspiracy
• 11th: I have no wish to have a man who doesn't know me tell me who I am
• 10th: I'm feeling like a very large turd on a very thin stick
• 7th: Don't do it for anyone else
• 6th: I expect to make the best movie ever made
• 5th: The mass audience will never learn
• 4th: Script-written cartoons are like rap music

December 2010

• 20th: I have put out a contract on Salman Rushdie
• 17th: Success
• 16th: Written with the hand of him who wishes he were yours
• 15th: Fake!
• 14th: The lid is on in Packingtown
• 13th: Have you heard about the Toad?
• 10th: Do not hand over any tapes to Paul McCartney
• 9th: The first mail to be carried over the Atlantic
• 8th: Your draughtsmanship is beyond reproach
• 7th: Love that color on you, by the way
• 6th: I greet you at the beginning of a great career
• 3rd: In search of a Komodo dragon
• 2nd: It's all too exciting
• 1st: All the ladies like whiskers

November 2010

• 30th: The rap singers is taken the advantage of me
• 29th: Ezra Pound is obviously crazy
• 26th: To: My widow
• 25th: Maybe it's just catharsis. But I think it's more.
• 24th: I don't support Clay's decision to refuse induction
• 23rd: The War is officially ended
• 22nd: A true Lovers Knot to thee my Dear I send
• 19th: Together we can "BEAT IT"!
• 18th: Bob Dylan: "Let John and Yoko stay!"
• 17th: Don't try
• 15th: A drunken evening with Groucho Marx
• 11th: There will be seven Harry Potter books altogether
• 10th: Its true beauty, however, was that it worked
• 9th: i'm still listening, it's fun
• 8th: SUGGESTED REAL NAME: KATHERINE "KITTY" PRYDE
• 5th: IN EVENT OF MOON DISASTER
• 4th: I hope you will be a great and successful actress some day
• 3rd: I am the servant of the king, my lord, the dirt at his feet
• 2nd: Dear Princely person
• 1st: To the Boy Scouts

October 2010

• 29th: Best Wishes, Brad Bird
• 28th: I have never drawn PEANUTS for children
• 27th: Mrs Yoko Ono Lennon does not sweat
• 26th: The Little People's Petition
• 25th: Remembering John Peel
• 22nd: It was a busy year and then it wasn't
• 19th: I sure am thinking of you
• 18th: Cal Tech students are primitive little shits
• 15th: Even the most sophisticated society can still fall prey to an invasion of monsters
• 14th: Madonna: "I hate actresses"
• 13th: Limitations are the greatest assets in producing a work of art
• 12th: Perhaps we should establish that worth in dollars
• 11th: Wear it well
• 7th: Our government doesn't give a fuck about our troops
• 6th: You have lit the flame of aspiration in so many of us
• 5th: SAY THAT TO MY FACE
• 4th: I would like to retain 'fart in your general direction'
• 1st: I write for young readers, not uptight adults

September 2010

• 30th: These answers are not intended to be funny
• 29th: Dear Empty TV
• 28th: H. G. Wells on American journalists
• 27th: Am Ricely and Chickenly Yours
• 24th: Barfly, I love you
• 23rd: DON'T GIVE UP!
• 22nd: 20 years of experience dictates the following...
• 21st: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a piss stain
• 20th: Father, you asked me recently why I am afraid of you
• 17th: The good of the Universal Church
• 16th: Your products are stronger than the atomic bomb
• 15th: I am not afraid of robots. I am afraid of people.
• 14th: Oh what an angry person you are!
• 13th: Letters of Note by Email
• 13th: I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence
• 10th: Your Dalek blueprints are enclosed
• 9th: We're One Year Old!
• 8th: Love, Corey
• 7th: Is there a space program which we could win?
• 6th: Accept me for what I am - completely unacceptable
• 3rd: Drinking, Smoking & Storytelling
• 2nd: Playboy #1
• 1st: I hope you like "Queen II."

August 2010

• 31st: Looks like books are coming to an end
• 30th: I was not an actress but rather a victim of degradation
• 27th: Some mean man killed my dady too
• 26th: I will never be the next Rene Zellwegger
• 25th: STAR TREK/Casting
• 24th: Thomas Pynchon on plagiarism
• 23rd: More close-ups, more money
• 20th: Be an unbeatable person and avenge my death
• 19th: The Death List
• 18th: Dear 8 year-old Teresa
• 17th: Let's make use of this opportunity
• 16th: Wind up the world the other way...
• 13th: Wow! Am I fucked up
• 12th: This little girl has her Walters crossed
• 11th: Art, like love, speaks through and to the heart
• 10th: Remembering Tony Wilson
• 9th: An A&R man must be "human"
• 6th: Fraternally, Brother Vonnegut
• 5th: The Tiger Oil Memos
• 4th: Our gods are assholes
• 3rd: Speaks through his nose and cannot pronounce the letter S
• 2nd: I can't be stopped

July 2010

• 30th: I hear you like Tomato Soup
• 29th: What makes you think I hate the British?
• 28th: A Mad Rejection
• 27th: It is a lovely book
• 26th: "I told you so!"
• 23rd: Characters are more important than jokes
• 22nd: 24 beers in a case, 24 hours in a day. Coincidence? I think not.
• 21st: Neo-Nazis, Syphilis, and World War III
• 20th: Planning Mount Rushmore
• 19th: The best reappraisals are born in the worst crisis
• 16th: You're chaining up far too many women
• 15th: I'm afraid I thought this one as dire as its title
• 14th: Tesla's Death Ray
• 13th: Your work was inadequate and inexcusably negligent
• 12th: He was there with you on the bridge
• 9th: A tomb of the mind and a dungeon of the body
• 8th: Dear Rear Admiral
• 6th: Try not to make an ass of yourself
• 5th: Doctors always know best
• 2nd: This letter opens it wide for any con man to destroy us
• 1st: The Little Rock Nine

June 2010

• 30th: I'd rather die than formally address a group of people
• 29th: Marvel Editors...you are the droppings of the creative world
• 28th: We are sinking fast
• 25th: Yours Faithfully, Adolf Hitler
• 23rd: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade
• 22nd: The quilt is beyond beautiful... Beyond!!!
• 21st: To All Potty-Mouthed Inbetweeners
• 18th: What you say should be applied to others rather than to me
• 17th: Will you please have a brilliant idea?
• 16th: I am quite sad that you are ill
• 15th: How to Train an Animator, by Walt Disney
• 14th: I am excited about going into space
• 11th: Science fiction should be mainly about people
• 10th: Could you send me a little something?
• 9th: You don’t understand "ordinary people"
• 8th: Pixar films don't get finished, they just get released
• 7th: Earth, by the way, is a garden of delights
• 4th: Lennon: 'Society only likes dead artists'
• 3rd: A Personal Letter From Steve Martin
• 2nd: Come on now Marlon, put up your dukes and write!
• 1st: Negro Bucks and White Hoodlums

May 2010

• 31st: No way!
• 28th: These bastards let your brother die
• 27th: An offense that comes from misinterpretation is vulnerable
• 26th: Fancy a game of baseball?
• 25th: FOR HEAVENS SAKE STOP IT
• 21st: Walt Disney's 25 million reasons to re-release Snow White
• 20th: Wills are subject to change
• 19th: Like most junk science that just won't die, the polygraph stays with us
• 18th: It is my dream and goal to capture TRUTH
• 17th: Come on, George. Loosen up. Swing, man.
• 14th: Again, Bet on Exterminator
• 13th: The crime of being a Negro was far more heinous
• 12th: I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes
• 11th: THINK BIG.
• 10th: The Birth of Public Enemy No.1
• 7th: Don't keep remembering what you've lost
• 6th: How to wash George Harrison's car
• 5th: Pinching the melon
• 4th: Why should I?

April 2010

• 30th: My position concerning God is that of an agnostic
• 29th: Popeye's favorit tree
• 28th: It's a good script
• 27th: And the answer was Aslan
• 26th: Is it best for the States to unite, or not to unite?
• 23rd: Your Friend, Conan
• 22nd: You are doomed to deserved failure
• 14th: Dear All
• 12th: I'm trying very hard to be a regular soldier
• 9th: Posterity is quite apt to be a little rough on you
• 8th: I am a fat boy now
• 7th: I can't remember ever being without you
• 6th: TO ALL POLLICLE DOGS AND JELLICLE CATS!
• 5th: All you speak of is real to me
• 2nd: Ym raed Yssac
• 1st: You must know again my reluctance to marry

March 2010

• 31st: I really do not happen to like champagne
• 30th: Joan of Arc's Call for Arms
• 29th: Beloved Father
• 26th: Success is a real and subtle whore
• 25th: The most beautiful death
• 24th: Burroughs has gone insane
• 23rd: For your future information...
• 22nd: The trouble with Chinese...
• 19th: Supermensch
• 18th: Fifty Lady Sharpshooters Await
• 17th: Send cask arsenic exterminate aborigines
• 16th: Respectfully yours, Clint Eastwood
• 15th: Metal fasteners, tape, and staples
• 12th: I am going to put the Commission out of commission
• 11th: Lou Gehrig's Disease
• 10th: Advice for an aspiring architect, in 1931
• 9th: A charming apology from Lewis Carroll
• 8th: Einstein on astrology
• 4th: When a real and final catastrophe should befall us...
• 3rd: What hath God wrought?
• 2nd: Happiness is within you...
• 1st: This was dictated before the world fell in on me

February 2010

• 26th: Salinger reviews Raiders of the Lost Ark
• 25th: I hadn't any idea that I talked about my guitar so often
• 23rd: Dear Lucy
• 22nd: What does all this stuff about flying saucers amount to?
• 19th: The worst is to come...
• 18th: Drive safely and don't abuse alcohol, drugs or candy
• 17th: People who write sonnets should be hung
• 16th: In defence of Jim Jones
• 15th: President Einstein
• 12th: The greatest novel I've ever written
• 11th: I cannot conceal my annoyance
• 10th: Don't F*ck With The Quote
• 9th: Where do you expect our children to live?
• 8th: I can't fight any longer
• 5th: Framed by an idiot, passed by muttonheads
• 4th: I had seen Amelia Earhart!
• 3rd: This is the second fan letter of my long career
• 2nd: I am to be executed
• 1st: John Lennon signed my album

January 2010

• 29th: I felt the risk of being overwhelmed by Giger
• 28th: Life on the battlefield is different from the movie version
• 27th: Ordinary standards do not apply to Tesla
• 26th: You're an idiot of the 33rd degree
• 25th: You're boring
• 22nd: My life couldn't fill a penny postcard
• 21st: "BUT HE NEVER CALLS ME!"
• 21st: I painted you a letter
• 20th: Superman looks worse in each picture
• 19th: How many lives are you willing to sacrifice?
• 19th: I will include your name in my present work
• 18th: I am Adam and I'm alone again with all my ribs intact
• 15th: Hang on, my love, and grow big and strong
• 14th: I feel disposable, used and insignificant
• 13th: Please Miss Hindley help me
• 12th: You must not even think of settlement during the war.
• 11th: Your pal, John K.
• 8th: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow
• 7th: Maddonna is utterly ARTLESS
• 6th: No wonder Mary Poppins was awful in this regard
• 5th: Letterheady
• 5th: I wish I could do a lot more for you
• 4th: Art is useless because...
• 4th: The birth of Bonfire Night
• 1st: A cunning suggestion

December 2009

• 31st: I wish I could spare Nancy from this painful experience
• 30th: La misère de la condition humaine
• 29th: Pardon me
• 22nd: The Jim Morrison Triptych
• 18th: What a dandy car you make
• 17th: The Sunday Strip
• 16th: Thank you Bob
• 16th: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
• 16th: Anything which weakens you, weakens America
• 16th: The Quill Letter
• 15th: Hostages For World Peace
• 15th: I want to buy it
• 14th: This rain of atomic bombs will increase manyfold in fury
• 11th: Name your price
• 10th: We have a message from another world
• 10th: Holden Caulfield is unactable
• 9th: You make school a perfect misery
• 9th: THIS IS NO DRILL
• 8th: Disney, Day 1
• 8th: Just personal enough
• 7th: All I tried to do was make you all honest men
• 7th: Dear All
• 7th: Here's the Marvelman script...
• 4th: You gave me a valuable gift: you took me seriously
• 3rd: I'm sorry. My friend got me drunk.
• 3rd: Hi. Buckley again.
• 3rd: One thought hits me about your letter
• 2nd: My real name is David Jones
• 2nd: You, Me and Cousin Dupree
• 1st: "He is a second Dirac, only this time human."

November 2009

• 30th: You're nothing but a pimp
• 30th: BRUCE IS GREAT...
• 30th: The KKK will receive a taste of its own medicine
• 26th: Unhappy Franksgiving
• 25th: Langlois Bridge
• 25th: You are Elvis Presley. I am Andy Kaufman.
• 25th: Daddy, my Poppy hasn't grown yet
• 24th: Dear Mayor of New York City
• 23rd: Best regards, Kurt
• 20th: Al Capone is coming home
• 20th: This issue transcends all others
• 19th: Houdini's Last Trick
• 18th: Slaughterhouse Five
• 18th: John McCain's favourite joke
• 17th: Philip K. Dick on dreams
• 17th: Thousands of other Daddies went too...
• 16th: Flight is possible to man
• 16th: You must have the wrong author
• 13th: This is me
• 13th: ..the brains of a cross-eyed titmouse..
• 13th: Your own name is a delightful one
• 12th: There is no time to be tactful
• 12th: Life unworthy of life
• 11th: To my good friends ye Postmasters
• 11th: If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong
• 11th: Full Metal Jacket offers no easy answers
• 10th: Your own private book event
• 10th: SAY YES I NEED A JOB
• 9th: I can tell by the Pixies...
• 6th: Prepare For Contact
• 6th: Please - no preferential treatment
• 5th: Prom is right around the corner
• 5th: I do hope my airplane crashes
• 4th: You will not stop me, Reverend
• 4th: Number One Snoopy Place
• 4th: 17214 6491 11310 18147
• 3rd: The lowest class of people I ever heard of
• 2nd: To all aspiring animators
• 2nd: If this letter doesn't do it - nothing will
• 2nd: The Ax

October 2009

• 30th: Einstein's One Great Mistake
• 30th: I HATE "Bright Eyes"!
• 29th: I feel like an egg in a whisk
• 29th: Homosexuality is nothing to be ashamed of
• 29th: It's with regret, Mr. Warhol...
• 28th: Onward!
• 28th: We all feel like that now and then
• 28th: The birth of Roger Thornhill
• 27th: The result would be a catastrophe
• 27th: Whatever you do, don't touch his hair
• 26th: Please clean up the oil spill
• 26th: Krusty the Clown is God
• 26th: The Johnny Appleseed of LSD
• 23rd: Men mellow, Women become battleaxes
• 22nd: Fire or Acid
• 22nd: I refuse to allow Stanley to get away with his robbery
• 21st: Lord Luv a Duck, Gov'nor
• 21st: UNADULTERATED HOGWASH
• 20th: The Galilean Moons
• 20th: If I cannot live with you I will live alone
• 20th: My husband is planning "an accident"
• 19th: I cannot swagger out in these shirts
• 19th: Tobacco Placement, 1983
• 16th: Dear All
• 16th: I was ready to sink into the earth with shame
• 16th: The things I saw beggar description
• 15th: I miss my brother
• 15th: Stop making "bums" of the school boys
• 15th: You are a decoration, you little witch!
• 15th: I would have gladly mingled with you
• 14th: To one and all I wish a speedy victory
• 14th: Savin' It!
• 13th: Maybe soon I'll do it live
• 13th: Describe The Sky
• 13th: I refuse to salute the flag
• 12th: The Masked Letter
• 12th: Unrest at the Chocolate Factory
• 9th: Vote for me I will help you out
• 9th: They are solid and good people
• 8th: It will be sunny one day
• 8th: Spit shall rain on the 'experts'
• 8th: Most of you steal your software
• 7th: For the sake of my conscience
• 7th: The word God is the product of human weakness
• 6th: A striptease with clothes on
• 6th: Re: your so called "exhaustion"
• 6th: YOURS IN MURDER
• 5th: I can pay you back with penny stamps
• 5th: We ought to take this man now
• 5th: I can't spell. I'm very upset
• 2nd: And don't get me started on the Scoutmasters
• 2nd: A Call For Equality
• 2nd: Regarding that pardon
• 1st: I am Jiverly Wong shooting the people

September 2009

• 30th: P.S. This is my favorite memo ever
• 30th: Confide in me, Tom
• 29th: I did NOT hear the Martians "rapping on my chamber door"
• 29th: Let the stillborn midget rest in peace
• 29th: WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX
• 28th: He put up a great fight against Fritz
• 28th: I leave it in your capable hands
• 28th: Bravo on your diffcult troubling work
• 28th: I sure miss Mr Hardy
• 25th: TO ALL LOVERS OF NIGHT SHIFTS!
• 25th: My good friend Roosvelt
• 24th: My dear little one day old baby
• 24th: The Wicca Ban
• 24th: Blade Runner will prove invincible
• 23rd: Do Not Lose This Letter
• 23rd: Misbehaver in the caferteria is unexcecpable
• 23rd: It was hard to give five sons to the Navy
• 22nd: All of this is nonsense
• 22nd: I ? U
• 21st: And a bomb was dropped
• 21st: TO A TOP SCIENTIST
• 18th: From your Daddy and pal always
• 18th: All you need is love
• 17th: Okay, you lazy bitch
• 17th: Your girl, Frida
• 17th: Boom, boom, boom!
• 16th: 17 million Negroes cannot wait for the hearts of men to change
• 16th: Everything you hear is true
• 16th: How can we stamp out this menace?
• 15th: I can and will do more good as a Federal Agent at Large
• 15th: The Father-in-Law of the Telephone
• 15th: And sing songs by Diana Ross
• 14th: Sweden. Listen up.
• 14th: It would be best for the country to keep baseball going
• 11th: How noble a woman's heart can be
• 11th: The child is in gut care
• 11th: It is like confessing a murder
• 10th: From Hell
• 10th: A killer logo
• 10th: I will not sign this letter
• 10th: For the sake of humanity
• 9th: My best, Marilyn Monroe
• 9th: God is great....God is great
• 9th: Servant until death
• 9th: This is the Zodiac speaking
• 9th: I wrote a book called THE GODFATHER
• 9th: Get back in the tracing room
• 9th: Dear All

Load of codswallop
codswallop (W3)

ox
BNC - British National Corpus

philosophers

Quotation (W3)

sic (W3)

SIC, adv.

Étymol. et Hist. 1771 (Diderot, Corresp., t. 2, p. 66). Mot lat. signifiant "ainsi"; cf. antérieurement en incise et sic de ceteris (1727, Montesquieu, Corresp., t. 1, p. 202).

sic (adv.)

insertion in printed quotation to call attention to error in the original; Latin, literally "so, thus, in this way", related to or emphatic of si "if", from PIE root "*so-" "this", "that" (cf. Old English "sio" "she"). Used regularly in English articles from 1876, perhaps by influence of similar use in French (1872).

[I]t amounts to Yes, he did say that, or Yes, I do mean that, in spite of your natural doubts. It should be used only when doubt is natural; but reviewers & controversialists are tempted to pretend that it is, because (sic) provides them with a neat & compendious form of sneer. [Fowler]

Sic passim is "generally so throughout."

signonsandiego
How strong is your knowledge of word origins?

The rest is silence
Der Rest ist Schweigen (W3)

wikipedia - quote (W3)

Beck, Terry
Cats Out of the Bag

George, Norman (Autor)
Die perfekten englischen Zitate
Von Jane Austen bis Oscar Wilde

Kurzbeschreibung
Über 1.000 Zitate / Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Englisch-Deutsch / Leichte Handhabung / Deutsches und Englisches Schlagwortregister
An der gegenwärtigen Weltsprache Nr. 1- Englisch - kommt kaum jemand vorbei, der um Verständigung bemüht ist, sei es privat oder beruflich. Sie ist gut zu erlernen, hat eine einfache grammatikalische Struktur und die Kompaktheit der Aussagen in ihr lassen Sentenzen entstehen, die sich leicht einprägen und oft auch nicht mehr vergessen werden.Die meisterhaften Zitate und Redewendungen aus Schriftstellerhand, aus Politiker - und Künstlermund sind in diesem Buch festgehalten sei es George Washington mit It s better to be alone than in bad company, dessen Aussage sich sowohl in der Übertragung auf das Private als auch auf den Beruf beziehen lassen kann, oder George Bernard Shaw, der mit jedem abrechnet, egal ob dieser uns beim Kaffee oder im Schulzimmer belehren will: He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.Das Register ermöglicht die Suche entweder nach dem Stichwort oder dem Autor der Leser kann sich aber auch einfach treiben lassen, nach dem Zitat von Nadine Gordimer "Truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is".

Über den Autor
Norman George, geb. 1961 in London, studierte in Birmingham und Cambridge Germanistik und klassische Philologie; anschließend er war einige Jahre als Lehrer in Durham tätig. Seit 1996 lebt und arbeitet er als freier Publizist in London.

Webber, Elizabeth
Feinsilber, Mike (Author)
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Allusions

New Yorker founding editor Harold Ross, according to this book's preface, is said to have asked writer James Thurber once, with bewilderment, "Is Moby Dick the man or the whale?" Well, even Homer nods (Horace). But, Harold! Thou shouldst be living at this hour (Wordsworth). Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Allusions is a Big Rock Candy Mountain (American folk song) for anyone who feels amid the alien corn (Keats) when it comes to understanding allusions everyone else seems to grok (Heinlein). Thanks to the blood, sweat, and tears (Churchill) of authors Elizabeth Webber and Mike Feinsilber--compiling this allusional Rosetta stone must have taken a Herculean, nay Brobdingnagian (Swift) effort - we can come in from the cold (popularized by le Carré) of the dark night of the soul (St. John of the Cross) and dine out on (G. Gordon Liddy and others) these allusions for years to come.
Jane Steinberg
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