Posted by Atticus on December 10, 2004, at 19:19:39
In reply to Re: Word Civility Muse, posted by alexandra_k on December 10, 2004, at 16:05:50
It's always been my understanding that Webster was terribly embittered by the fact that his parents gave him the first name "Miriam." Led to a lot of schoolyard fights and repressed aggression. Probably why he finds so many words to be "frequently" vulgar.
Well, OK, that last bit was speculation. And the bit before that an outright lie. As was the bit preceding it. I'm sure you know the truth: Webster's collaborator was Wolfgang Amadeus Miriam (Mozart was his stage name), who'd written an unweildy opera in which he attempted to use every word in the English language. He put the whole mess aside until he bumped into Webster while spray-painting "Salieri Sucks" on an alley wall in Vienna. They got on famously, and co-wrote the books for several Broadway musicals as well as the dictionary. Atticus
poster:Atticus
thread:426637
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20041109/msgs/427429.html