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 . . . SPEECH see "COMMUNICATION" for related links I have always been convinced, that the abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society. --John Adams (1735—1826) First VP and second President of the United States. Letter to J.H. Tiffany [31 March 1819, in _Works of John Adams_, vol. 10 [1856], ed. by Charles Francis Adams. The day of the jewelled epigram is passed and, whether one likes it or not, one is moving into the stern puritanical era of the four-letter word. --Noël Annan (1916—2000) English historian and writer. In the House of Lords [1966]; quoted in George Greenfield _Scribblers for Bread_ [1989]. Gentlemen, there comes a tide in the affairs of bastards when no amount of cursing will suffice. Let us merely observe a moment of silence, like a deaf-mute who has just hit his fingers with a hammer. --John Barrymore (John Sidney Blythe) (1882—1942) Shakespearean actor. Quoted in Gene Fowler, _Good Night, Sweet Prince_ [1943]. Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. --Bible "Matthew" 15:10-11 Be slow of tongue and quick of eye. --Miguel de Cervantes (1547—1616) Spanish novelist. Speak little, do much. --Benjamin Franklin (1706—1790) American politician, inventor, and scientist. _Poor Richard's Almanack_ [1755] Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. --Theodor Seuss Geisel [Dr. Seuss] (1904—1991) American writer and illustrator of children's books. You like potato and I like po-tah-to, You like tomato and I like to-mah-to; Potato, po-tah-to, tomato, to-mah-to — Let's call the whole thing off! --Ira Gershwin (1896—1983) American songwriter. "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" [1937 song] ^ Letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal: "Let's Start Speaking Good" December 13, 2006 So Joseph Epstein's like, we oughta have a focus group to save the English language from, you know, going down the tubes, because we all know that bad English really sucks. Wow, I mean, this dude is so totally cool in saying we don't talk right. So I'm like, we need to speak more clearly, but then society's like, never mind, do your own thing, whatever. If a person speaks correctly they sound more educated, but then other people go, like, you are some sort of snob or bigot. Rachel Eve Glyn Cherry Hill, N.J. & note: Has society become so, like, totally... I mean absolutely...You know? That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like... whatever! So actually our disarticulation...ness is just a clever sort of...thing to disguise the fact that we've become the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along since... you know, a long, long time ago! --Taylor Mali (1965— ) American teacher and poet. ^ Most men make little other use of their speech than to give evidence against their own understanding. --George Savile, 1st Marquess Halifax (1633—1695) English politician and essayist. _Political, Moral, and Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections_ [1750] The phrase "we (I) (you) simply *must* — " designates something that need not be done. "That goes without saying" is a red warning. "Of course" means you had best check it yourself. These small-change cliches and others like them, when read correctly, are reliable channel markers. --Robert A(nson) Heinlein (1907—1988) American science-fiction writer. _Notebooks of Lazarus Long_ [1978], [Heinlein's *italics*] Speech is conveniently located midway between thought and action, where it often substitutes for both. --John Andrew Holmes (1874—?) American physician and writer, _Wisdom in Small Doses_ [1927] From his tongue flowed speech sweeter than honey. --Homer (c. 850? BC) Greek epic poet. _The Illiad_, Book I, Line 249 Words can destroy. What we call each other ultimately becomes what we think of each other, and it matters. --Jeane Kirkpatrick (1926—2006) American Conservative political scientist, professor, author, and the first woman to serve as the American Ambassador to the United Nations. ''Israel as Scapegoat,'' an address before the Anti-Defamation League [11 February 1982]. In my youth there were words you couldn't say in front of a girl; now you can't say 'girl'. --Tom Lehrer (1928— ) American songwriter and satirist. Interview in "The Oldie" [1996]. Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word, preserves contact — it is silence which isolates. --Thomas Mann (1875—1955) German novelist. _The Magic Mountain_ [1924] A man's character is revealed by his speech. --Menander (343?—291 B.C.) Greek dramatist. "Fragment" 72, tr. Francis G. Allinson [1921] No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately. --Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533—1592) French moralist and essayist. Success depends on three things: who says it, what he says, how he says it; and of these three things, what he says is the least important. --Lord [John] Morley (1838—1923) British Liberal politician, writer, and newspaper editor. _Recollections_ [1917], v. II, bk. 5, ch. 4 Continual eloquence is tedious. --Blaise Pascal (1623—1662) French mathematician, physicist, and moralist. _Pensees_ [1670] Where judgment has wit to express it, there's the best orator. --William Penn (1644—1718) Quaker leader and advocate of religious freedom who oversaw the founding of the American Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a refuge for Quakers and other religious minorities of Europe {E.B.}. _Some Fruits of Solitude_ [1693] Do not be arrogant because of your knowledge, but confer with the ignorant man as with the learned. . . . Good speech is more hidden than malachite, yet it is found in the possession of women slaves at the millstones. --Ptahhotpe 24th century B.C. philosopher. _The Maxims of Ptahhotpe_ [c. 2350 BC] Speech is a mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so is he. --Publilius Syrus (85—43 B.C.) Latin writer of mimes who was originally a slave. _Maxims_ Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care. --William Safire (1929— ) Journalist, speechwriter, novelist, lexicographer, and winner of the 1978 Pulitzer for commentary. I do not much dislike the matter, but The manner of his speech. --William Shakespeare (1564—1616) English dramatist. _Antony and Cleopatra_ [1606—1607] There are three things in speech that ought to be considered before some things are spoken — the manner, the place and the time. --Robert Southey (1774—1843) English poet. Faith, that's as well said, as if I had said it myself. --Jonathan Swift (1667—1745) Anglo-Irish poet and satirist. _Polite Conversation_ [1738] What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent. --Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889—1951) Austrian philosopher. _Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus [1922] The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less. --Zeno of Cittium (333—261) Greek philosopher. In Diogenes Laërtius _Lives of the Philosophers_. - "Our Lips And Ears" If you your lips would keep from slips. Five things observe with care: Of whom you speak, to whom you speak, And how and when and where. If you your ears would save from jeers, These things keep meekly hid: Myself and I, and mine and my, And how I do and did. --anon. - Keep your words sweet — you may have to eat them. --anon. ----- affectation [af-ek-TAY-shuhn], noun: 1. an artificial way of talking or behaving put on to impress others; pretense 2. an unnatural action, expression, or trait that indicates artificiality blarney (noun) ['blahr-nee] Empty words, double-talk, fabrication, nonsense. Etymology: An eponym from Blarney Village just outside the city of Cork, Ireland. The world famous Blarney Stone is perched high up in the battlements of Blarney Castle there. bloviate (verb) ['blo-vee-eyt] (U.S. Slang) To speak or write verbosely and windily. bombast [BOM-bast], noun: Pompous or pretentious speech or writing. bon mot (noun) [bõ(n)-'mo] A witticism, a clever or witty turn of phrase. cacoepy (noun) [kæk-'o-ê-pee or 'kæk-o-e-pee] Incorrect pronunciation. cadence [KAYD-'n(t)s], noun: 1. the measure or beat of music, dancing, or a regularly repeated movement 2. a rising and falling sound; modulation; also, the falling inflection of the voice, as at the end of a sentence calumniate (verb) [kê-'lêm-nee-eyt] To make malicious statements known to be false in an effort to harm someone's reputation or character. cant [KANT], noun: 1. The idioms and peculiarities of speech in any sect, class, or occupation; jargon. 2. The use of pious words without sincerity. circumlocution [sir-kuhm-loh-KYOO-shuhn], noun: The use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language. claptrap (noun) ['klæp-træp] Pretentious, insincere speech designed to gain applause; a trick or phrase designed to capture praise. Suggested Usage: Remember, claptrap is not just drivel, but drivel designed to stimulate a positive response. colloquial (adj.) [kê-'lok-wi-yêl] Characteristic of ordinary, informal speech, conversational rather than written speech style. contumely [kon-TYOO-muh-lee]; noun: 1. Rudeness or rough treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; scornful insolence. 2. An instance of contemptuousness in act or speech. coruscate [KOR-uh-skayt], intransitive verb: 1. To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle. 2. To exhibit brilliant, sparkling technique or style. The noun form is coruscation. disparage (transitive verb) To refer disapprovingly or contemptuously to somebody or something. dithyramb (plural dith·y·rambs) Fervent speech: a passionately emotional speech or piece of writing (formal) effusive (adj.) Expressing emotions at undue length or intensity. Example: effusive and tiresome apologies. enunciate [ee-NUN-see-ayt]; transitive verb: 1. To utter articulately; to pronounce. 2. To state or set forth precisely or systematically. 3. To announce; to proclaim; to declare. intransitive verb: To utter words or syllables articulately. Ex.: John Maynard Keynes, a famous economist and outstandingly successful investor, enunciated the theory most lucidly in 1936. --Burton G. Malkiel, _A Random Walk Down Wall Street_ felicitous [fuh-LIS-uh-tuhs], adjective: 1. Suitably applied or expressed; appropriate; apt. 2. Happy; delightful; marked by good fortune. fulminate [FUL-muh-nayt], intransitive verb: 1. To issue or utter verbal attacks or censures authoritatively or menacingly. 2. To explode; to detonate. 3. To utter or send out with denunciations or censures. fustian as adjective: Written or spoken with pretentiousness or pomposity (formal) as noun: 1. Pompous or pretentious speech or writing (formal) 2. A coarse sturdy cloth that is a blend of cotton and linen harangue [huh-RANG], noun: 1. A speech addressed to a large public assembly. 2. A noisy or pompous speech; a rant. invective [in-VEK-tiv], noun: 1. An abusive expression or speech; a vehement verbal attack. 2. Insulting or abusive language. jabberwocky (plural jab·ber·wock·ies) [noun] Nonsense language: speech or writing that is meaningless and often deliberately whimsical or humorous [Early 20th century. From “Jabberwocky,” nonsense poem by English writer Lewis Carroll, from his book _Through the Looking Glass_ [1872] laconic [luh-KON-ik], adjective: Using or marked by the use of a minimum of words; brief and pithy; brusque. Ex.: Readers' reports range from the laconic to the verbose. --Bernard Stamler, "A Brooklyncentric View of Life," _New York Times_ [28 February 1999] Laconia was an ancient region of southern Greece in the southeastern Peloponnesus; Sparta was the capital. Its people were noted for being warlike and disciplined, and also for the brevity of their speech. Synonyms: concise, succinct, pithy. lambaste lam-BAYST, transitive verb: 1. To give a thrashing to; to beat severely. 2. To scold sharply; to attack verbally; to berate. "lapsus linguæ" (a slip of the tongue) lexicon [LEK-suh-kon], noun; plural lexicons or lexica -kuh: 1. A book containing an alphabetical arrangement of the words in a language with the definition of each; a dictionary. 2. The vocabulary of a person, group, subject, or language. lexiphanic (adj.) [lex-ê-'fahn-ik] Employing pretentious words; using overblown language in speech or writing. lilt (verb) ['lilt ] To move or speak musically, in a lively, pleasant, and cheerful fashion. litotes (noun) ['li-tê-teez, lI-'to-teez] A figure of speech that uses dramatic understatement to express a positive idea by negating its opposite. macrology (noun) [mæ-'crah-lê-jee] Wordiness, prolixity, excessively redundant speech. Macrology refers to speech that is not merely excessive in length but also tedious and pointlessly redundant. magniloquent (adj.) [mæg-'ni-lê-qwênt] Grandiloquent, flowery, elevated, orotund (referring to language) malapropism (noun) ['mæ-lê-prahp-iz-êm] The unintentional use of one word that sounds a bit like another (almost homophones), but which is wrong in context. maunder [MON-dur], intransitive verb: 1. To talk incoherently; to speak in a rambling manner. 2. To wander aimlessly or confusedly. Ex.: As in one of his earlier novels,... Kerr invents a credibly grim scenario for our future: most of the earth's inhabitants are infected with a deadly virus and maunder in fetid cities. --Charles Flowers, "Blood on the Moon (Really!)," _New York Times_, [14 February 1999] obloquy [OB-luh-kwee], noun: 1. Strongly condemnatory or abusive language or utterance. 2. The condition of disgrace suffered as a result of public blame, abuse, or condemnation; ill repute. orotund (adj.) ['or-ê-tênd] Clearly and elegantly articulated (speech), sonorous, full of deep, rounded sounds oxymoron (noun) [ahk-see-'mo-rahn] A phrase comprising two mutually contradictory words. Ex.: living dead, near miss, old news. palaver puh-LAV-uhr; puh-LAH-vur, noun: 1. Idle talk 2. Talk intended to beguile or deceive. 3. A parley usually between persons of different backgrounds or cultures or levels of sophistication; a talk; hence, a public conference and deliberation. persiflage (noun) ['pêr-sê-flahzh] Light, sociable chatter or a superficial, sociable manner of speaking. pontificate [v. pon-TIFF-ih-kate or n. pon-TIFF-i-kit] To speak with exaggerated authority, lecturing as knowing everything about a topic. Syn.: sermonize, exhort, admonish, preach, and lecture. prolix (adj.) ['pro-liks] Lengthy, too temporally long; (of speech or writing) verbose, long-winded, using too many words. raconteur [ack-on-TUR], noun: One who excels in telling stories and anecdotes. raillery [RAY-luh-ree] noun: 1. Good-humored banter or teasing. 2. An instance of good-humored teasing; a jest. reticent (adjective) ['re-tê-sênt] Reluctant to speak or say anything; taciturn. rigmarole (noun) ['rig-mê-rol (not 'ri-gê-mê-rol)] 1. Rambling, disconnected speech; 2. Red tape, complicated procedure or process. riposte (noun) [ree-'post] (Sports: fencing) A quick thrust following a parry and a lunge from the opponent in fencing; an effective response, verbal or otherwise, a rejoinder, a repartee. A repartee is specifically a witty reply or a series of them. A riposte is any kind of effective response, it could be a repartee or a countermove. The noun may be used as a verb. sententious (adjective) 1: Using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. 2: Using many truisms or maxims. 3: Rich in pointed, concise truths. Related: meaningful Derived: sententiously, adv. ; sententiousness, n. sesquipedalian [ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn], adj.: 1. Given to or characterized by the use of long words. 2. Long and ponderous; having many syllables. solecism (noun) 1. A violation of rules or conventions; a mistake, a blunder 2. A blunder in speaking or writing; esp. a mistake of grammar sonorous (adj.) 1. Producing or possessing sound 2. Sounding with loud, deep, and clear tones 3. Speaking, spoken, or expressed in a rich, full, and impressive manner sotto voce [SAH-toh-VOH-chee], adverb or adjective: 1. Spoken low or in an undertone, as not to be overheard. 2. (Music) In very soft tones. Used chiefly as a direction. Spoonerism (noun) ['spu-nêr-iz-êm] A speech error involving the transposition of the initial consonants of two neighboring or proximate words, especially if the result is a funny meaningful phrase, e.g. "When our boys come home from France, we will have the hags flung out. Etymology: "Spoonerism" is a commonization of the surname of Reverend W. A. Spooner, Dean and Warden of New College, Oxford stentorian (adjective) [sten-'to-ri-ên] Extremely loud or having an extremely loud voice. Adv: stentorianly Etymology: The eponym is Stentor, the Greek herald in the Trojan War whose voice was as powerful as those of fifty other men according to the Iliad. susurration (susur-ra ion): A whispering; a soft murmur. synecdoche [si-NEK-duh-kee], noun: A figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole or whole for a part or general for the special or vice versa Ex.: Photographers had to resort to visual synecdoche, hoping that a small part of the scene -- a wailing child, an emaciated mother, a pile of corpses in a freshly dug trench -- would suggest the horrors of the whole. --Paul Gray, Looking At Cataclysms, _Time_, August 1, 1994 Ex.: We're using the part-for-whole type of synecdoche, for instance, when we describe a smart person as a "brain." --We Live by the Brand, _Hartford Courant_, August 9, 1995 tirade [TY-raid; tih-RAID], noun: A long angry speech; a violent denunciation; a prolonged outburst full of censure or abuse. treacle (noun) ['tree-kêl] 1. Syrup, especially from the first pressing of sugar cane but also the molasses left over after the sugar crystals are removed; 2. Sugar-coating, cloying sentiment, sweetness of speech, especially insincere compliments. turgid [TUR-jid], adjective: 1. Swollen, bloated, puffed up; as, "a turgid limb." 2. Swelling in style or language; bombastic, pompous; as, "a turgid style of speaking." unctuous [UNGK-choo-us], adjective: 1. Of the nature or quality of an unguent or ointment; fatty; oily; greasy. 2. Having a smooth, greasy feel, as certain minerals. 3. Insincerely or excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech; marked by a false or smug earnestness or agreeableness. vapid [VAP-id; VAY-pid], adjective: 1. Lacking liveliness and spirit; unanimated; spiritless; dull; as, "a vapid speech." 2. Flavorless; lacking taste or zest; flat; as, "vapid beer." Ex.: Especially in his coverage of the first 800 years of Russian architecture, he resorts to a prose of vapid enthusiasms; too many buildings are described like this, about a country palace: 'a breathtaking masterpiece that fairly shimmered with Baroque splendor.' --Richard Lourie, "Firebrands and Firebirds," _New York Times_ [5 April 1998] vituperation [vy-too-puh-RAY-shuhn, -tyoo-], noun: 1. The act or an instance of speaking abusively to or about. 2. Sustained and severely abusive language. voluble [VOL-yuh-buhl], adjective: 1. Characterized by a ready flow of speech. 2. Easily rolling or turning; rotating. Ex.: He listened patiently and with quiet amusement to my enthusiasm. Indeed, this turned out to be our pattern: I, more ignorant but more voluble, would babble on, while he would offer an occasional objection or refinement. --Phillip Lopate, "Totally, Tenderly, Tragically"  . . see "COMMUNICATION" for related links In that oration there were some things that were true, and some things that were trite: but what was true was trite, and what was not trite was not true. --Arthur James Balfour (1848—1930) British Conservative statesman and Prime Minister [1920—1925]. In Winston Churchill "Arthur James Balfour" _Great Contemporaries_ [1937]. - ...In any case, in my eighty-sixth year, I must speak tonight. And it will be very easy indeed for me to make a better speech than Sir John [Macdonald] could have delivered at the age of eighty-five. And I will tell you why. Because he died at seventy-six. --Lord Beaverbrook (1879—1964) Canadian-born British newspaper proprietor and Conservative politician. His last speech. Here I must say, in my eighty-sixth year, I do not feel greatly different from when I was eighty-five. This is my final word. It is time for me to become an apprentice once more. I have not settled in which direction. But somewhere, sometime soon. --Lord Beaverbrook (1879—1964) Canadian-born British newspaper proprietor and Conservative politician. His last speech. - I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am speaking. But I strongly object when they start shaking them to make certain they are still going. --Lord Birkett (1883—1962) English barrister and judge. In "Observer" [30 October 1960]. ^ Eamon De Valera (1882—1975), three times prime minister of Ireland [1932—1948], [1951—1954], and [1957—1959]. In the middle of a fiery political speech at Ennis, De Valera was arrested. After a year's imprisonment, he was released. At once he hastened back to Ennis, summoned a meeting, and began to speak: "As I was saying when I was interrupted—" --_Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes_ edited by Clifton Fadiman and André Bernard [2000 ed.] ^ When asked what was first in oratory, [he] replied to his questioner. 'action,' what second, 'action,' and again third, 'action.' --Demosthenes (c.364—c.322 B.C.) Athenian orator and statesman. In Cicero _Brutus_. I was reminded of the after-dinner speaker who went on and on until a guest was so fed up that he picked up a bottle and shied it at the speaker's head. Unfortunately it missed the speaker and hit a little man sitting beside him, knocking him out. Immediately people rushed to revive him, and when he eventually came round, he was heard to say: 'Please hit me again. I can still hear him.' --Tim Heald, in _The Best After-Dinner Stories_ "Introduction" [2003]. ^ Thomas Heggen (1919-1949) American writer. When Heggen's "Mister Roberts" appeared, the publishers arranged for him to make some public appearances to advertise the book. His first speaking engagement was at a luncheon in a New York hotel. Thoughout the meal he sat among the ladies at the head table, paralyzed with apprehension and unable to swallow anything. Called upon to speak, he stood up and, overcome with nerves, failed to utter a single word. A neighbor, seeing his agony, tried to get him started by saying kindly, ''Perhaps you can tell us how you wrote your book.'' Heggen gulped and the words suddenly came: ''Well, shit, it was just that I was on this boat. . . '' --_Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes_ edited by Clifton Fadiman and André Bernard [2000 ed.] ^ Gentlemen, do you know what is the finest speech that I ever in my life heard or read? It is the address of Garibaldi to his Roman soldiers, when he told them: "Soldier, what I have to offer you is fatigue, danger, struggle and death; the chill of the cold night in the free air, and heat under the burning sun; no lodgings, no munitions, no provisions, but forced marches, dangerous watchposts and the continual struggle with the bayonet against batteries; — those who love freedom and their country may follow me." That is the most glorious speech I ever heard in my life. --Lajos Kossuth (1802—1894) Hungarian lawyer and journalist. Be sincere; be brief; be seated. --Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882—1945) American Democratic statesman and President [1933—1945]. Advice on speechmaking to his son James. In Bill Adler, comp. _Presidential Wit: From Washington to Johnson_, p. 164 [1966]. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. --William Shakespeare (1564—1616) English dramatist. _Julius Caesar_ 3.2.79, [1599] HECKLER (from the crowd): Tell 'em what's on your mind, Al. It won't take long. SMITH (grinning and pointing at the man): Stand up, pardner, and I'll tell 'em what's on both our minds. It won't take any longer. --Alfred E. Smith (1873—1944) American politician; four-time Democratic governor of New York and the first Roman Catholic to run for President of the U.S.. In "Lyndon's Fables" _Time_ [8 May 1964]. Do you remember that in classical time when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, 'How well he spoke,' but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they said, 'Let us march.' --Adlai E. Stevenson (1900—1965) American Democratic politician. Introducing John F. Kennedy in 1960, in Bert Cochran _Adlai Stevenson_ [1969]. ^ William Howard Taft (1857—1930) 27th President of the United States [1909—1913] and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court [1921—1930] During a political speech a listener threw a cabbage at Taft, who then paused, examined the cabbage, and said, 'I see that one of my opponents has lost its head.' --_Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes_ edited by Clifton Fadiman and André Bernard [2000 ed.] ^ I don't speak. I write. Thank you. --Donald E. Westlake (1933— ) American mystery writer who has won the Edgar Award three times. His entire speech upon winning the 1967 Edgar Allan Poe Award for _God Save the Mark_. I will be brief. Not nearly so brief as Salvador Dali, who gave the world's shortest speech. He said "I will be so brief I have already finished," and he sat down. --Edward O. Wilson (1929— ) American entomologist and biologist. If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now. --Woodrow Wilson (1856—1924) American Democratic statesman and President [1913—1921]. In Josephus Daniels _The Wilson Era_ [1946]. -- At an afternoon tea for officers and their wives, the commanding general of the base delivered a seemingly endless oration. A young second lieutenant, listening with obvious disfavor, grumbled to the woman at his side, “What a pompous and unbearable old windbag that slob is.” The woman turned to him, her face red with rage and said, “Lieutenant, do you know who I am?” “No, ma’am.” “I am the wife of the man you just called ‘an unbearable old windbag.’ “ “Indeed,” said the young lieutenant, looking steadfast and unruffled, “and do you know who I am?” “No, I don’t,” said the general’s wife. “Thank God,” said the lieutenant as he disappeared into the crowd. ----- valediction (noun) A speech or statement made as a farewell. Synonyms: valedictory, valedictory address ;void(0)) SPEED . . see "TRAVEL" for related links It is impossible to travel faster than light, and certainly not desirable, as one's hat keeps blowing off. --Woody Allen [Allen Stewart Konigsberg] (1935— ) American actor, screenwriter, and director. Make haste slowly. --Augustus [Gaius Octavius] (63 B.C.—14 A.D.) The first Roman emperor. In _Lives of the Caesars_ [c.121] by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. There was a young lady named Bright, Whose speed was far faster than light, She set out one day In a relative way, And returned home the previous night. --Arthur Buller (1874—1944) British botanist and mycologist. In "Punch" [19 December 1923]. 'Well, in our country,' said Alice, still panting a little, 'you'd generally get to somewhere else — if you ran very fast for a long time as we've been doing.' 'A slow sort of country!' said the Queen. 'Now, *here,* 1 see, it takes all the running *you* can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!' --Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832—1898) English writer and logician. _Thorough the Looking-Glass_ [1872] The Loco Motive machine was to be upon the railway at such a place at 12 o'clock. So of course we were at our post in 3 carriages and some horsemen at the hour appointed. I had the satisfaction, for I can't call it _pleasure_, of taking a trip of five miles in it at 20 miles an hour. As Accuracy was my great object I held my watch in my hand at starting and all the time, and as it has a second hand, I knew I could not be deceived. During the five miles, the machine was occasionally made to put itself out or _go it_; and then we went at the rate of 23 miles an hour, and just with the same ease as to motion or absence of friction. But the quickest motion is to me _frightful_; it is really flying, and it is impossible to divest yourself of the notion of instant death. It gave me a headache which has not left me. Altogether I am extremely glad to have seen this miracle, but having done so I am quite satisfied with my _first_ achievement being my _last_. --Thomas Creevey (1768—1838) English politician. (After riding in a railroad carriage at 23 mph [14 November 1829].) Quoted in Jacques Barzun, _From Dawn to Decadence_ [2000]. I thought the perfection of rapid transit had been reached. We traveled at least eighteen miles an hour when at full speed, and made the whole distance averaging as much as twelve miles an hour. This seemed like annihilating space. --Ulysses S. Grant (1822—1885) American Unionist general and 18th President of the United States [1869—1877]. (On riding the railroad in 1839.) - "You will allow," said Mr Foster, as soon as they were again in motion, "that the wild man of the woods could not transport himself over two hundred miles of forest, with as much facility as one of these vehicles transports you and me through the heart of this cultivated country." "I am certain," said Mr Escot, "that a wild man can travel an immense distance without fatigue; but what is the advantage of locomotion? The wild man is happy in one spot, and there he remains: the civilised man is wretched in every place he happens to be in, and then congratulates himself on being accommodated with a machine that will whirl him to another, where he will be just as miserable as ever." --Thomas Love Peacock (1785—1866) English satirist and author. _Headlong Hall_, (The vehicle referred to is a horse-drawn mail coach.) - Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast. --William Shakespeare (1564—1616) English dramatist. _Romeo and Juliet_ [1595—1596], act II, scene iii ----- alacrity (noun) [ê-'læ-krê-tee] Willing promptitude in responding, eager and happy quickness or speed. celerity [suh-LAIR-uh-tee], noun: Rapidity of motion or action; quickness; swiftness. ;void(0)) SPELLING . . see "LANGUAGE" for related links One false spelling may fix a stigma upon a man for life. --Lord Chesterfield [Philip Dormer Stanhope] (1694—1773) British writer and politician. ^ Favras, Thomas de Mahay, Marquis de (1744—1790) French aristocrat. Favras's trial lasted nearly two months; the evidence against him was inconclusive and the witnesses disagreed, but in the end he was found guilty. Before being lead to the scaffold he was handed his death sentence, written down by the clerk of the court. He read it through, then said, 'I see, monsieur, that you have made three spelling mistakes.' --_Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes_ edited by Clifton Fadiman and André Bernard [2000 ed.] ^ It's a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word. --Andrew Jackson {Old Hickory} (1767—1845) American military hero and 7th president of the United States [1829—1837]. I'm not very good at it myself, but the first rule about spelling is that there is only one z in "is." --George S. Kaufman (1889—1961) American playwright, director, and producer. (To the writer of a manuscript filled with spelling errors.) My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places. --A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne (1882—1956) English writer for children. _Winnie-the-Pooh_ [1926] A man occupied with public or other important business cannot, and need not, attend to spelling. --Napoleon I (1769—1821) Emperor of France [1804—1815]. ^ Headline in the Narragansett (R.I.) Times. LITERARCY GRANT BENEFITS LOCAL STUDENTS --_New Yorker_ (magazine) [24 December 2007] ^ I was once in a spelling bee but I lost because the other contastents cheeted. --Paul Paternoster In writing essays, there are two things one has difficulty with — spelling and stops. Nearly everybody says it is the spelling that matters. Now spelling is one of the decencies of life, like the proper use of knives and forks. It looks slovenly and nasty if you spell wrongly, like trying to eat your soup with a fork. But, intellectually, spelling — English spelling — does not matter. Shakespeare spelt his own name at least four different ways, and it may have puzzled his cashiers at the bank. Intellectually, stops matter a great deal. If you are getting your commas, semi-colons, and full-stops wrong, it means that you are not getting your thoughts right, and your mind is muddled. --William Temple (1881—1944) English theologian and Archbishop. Speech at the Royal Infant Orphanage in Wanstead [22 October 1938]. - First you have the writer who can write but can't spell. Then you have the editor who can spell but can't write. Finally you have the publisher who can neither spell nor write, and he makes all the money. --anon., in Michael Larsen _Literary Agents_ [1996]. Aoccdrnig to a rseerach at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. --source unknown NOTE: This mail is a natural product. The sleight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual charicter and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects. --anon. ;void(0)) SPENDTHRIFTS . . ^ Chertkov, a disciple of Tolstoy, was a wealthy aristocrat. Tolstoy once reprimanded him for traveling first class, suggesting that, to demonstrate his humility, he should go second. On his next journey the obedient Chertkov hired an entire second-class coach for himself. --In Michael Scammel _Alexander Solzhenitsyn: A Biography_. ^ ^ Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714—1787) German opera composer. Walking along the rue St. Honoré one day, Gluck accidentally broke a shopkeeper's glass pane. The value being put at thirty sous, Gluck offered him a coin worth about double that. The shopkeeper was about to run next door to get change when Gluck stopped him. 'Why bother, I'll make it even.' And he broke another pane. --_Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes_ edited by Clifton Fadiman and André Bernard [2000 ed.] ^ end page | SACRED - SANTA CLAUS | SARCASM - SCHOOL | SCIENCE - SCULPTURE | SEA (THE) - SEEING | SELF - SELF-ESTEEM | SELF-EXAMINATION - SEMANTICS | SENATE (THE U.S.) - SERIOUSNESS | SEX | SEX SYMBOLS - SHEEP | SHIPS - SILENCE | SILLINESS - SINGING | SINGLE-MINDEDNESS - SKY | SLANDER - SMILES | SMOKING - SOCIETY | SOLDIERS - SOPHISTICATION | SORROW - SOUTH SEA | SPACE - SPEAKING | SPEECH - SPENDTHRIFTS | SPIDERS - SPY | SPORTS & SPORTSMANSHIP | STAGE (THE) - STERILIZATION | STOCK MARKET - STRANGERS | STRENGTH - SUBURBS | SUCCESS | SUFFERING - SUPREME COURT | SURPRISE - SYSTEM (THE) | | R | S | T | U - END | | Return Home | The Credits | The Cast | Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 | The End | The Reviews | Photos | |
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