"I see" said the blind man (1948)

[Fred Shapiro]

On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:

> Does Fred Shapiro have an earlier hit for this?
>
> (OCLC WORLDCAT) Title: A killer is loose among us / Author(s): Terrall,
> Robert. Publication: New York : Duell, Sloan and Pearce, Year: 1948
> "I see," said the blind man --

This is, of course, the most famous Wellerism.

"Marry, that I would see! quoth blind Hew.
        John Heywood, The Pardoner and the Frere (1533)

"We'll say nothing, but we'll see," as blind Pete said to his dog.
        Fraser's Magazine, vol. 6 (1832)

"I'd like to see you," as the blind man said to the policeman when he told
him he would take him to the station house if he did not move on.
        Yankee Notions, vol. 10 (1848)

"Let me see," said the blind man.
        Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend (1864)

Fred Shapiro


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------