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Post by Alan Palmer on Sept 21, 2008 17:28:09 GMT
Expression is the dress of thought, and still Appears more decent, as more suitable; A vile conceit in pompous words express’d, Is like a clown in regal purple dress’d: For diff’rent styles with diff’rent subjects sort, As several garbs with country, town, and court Some by old words to fame have made pretence, Ancients in phrase, mere moderns in their sense; Such labour’d nothings, in so strange a style, Amaze th’ unlearn’d, and make the learned smile. Unlucky, as Fungoso in the play, These sparks with awkward vanity display What the fine gentleman wore yesterday; And but so mimic ancient wits at best, As apes our grandsires, in their doublets drest. In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold; Alike fantastic, if too new, or old: Be not the first by whom the new are try’d, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.
[extract from Alexander Pope An Essay on Criticism]
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Post by Pete on Nov 16, 2010 0:11:05 GMT
From last night in twisted river by John Irving.
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Post by Pete on Nov 16, 2010 0:15:27 GMT
ibid
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Post by WeeWilly on Sept 30, 2011 18:00:43 GMT
"I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way."
I know that I have posted this wee gem somewhere here before. It is generally attributed to Twain - and it certainly smacks of his style - but this sentiment finds expression in several versions, and so, it is not clear who its originator is!
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Post by Pete on Oct 1, 2011 23:03:37 GMT
"I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way." I know that I have posted this wee gem somewhere here before. It is generally attributed to Twain - and it certainly smacks of his style - but this sentiment finds expression in several versions, and so, it is not clear who its originator is! Love it! Thanks, WW.
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