E for Effort (1940)

[Wilson Gray]

That rings a bell. Did the symbol for the award look something like a
small, navy-blue flag featuring a gold laurel?/olive? wreath partially
encircling an "E"?

-Wilson Gray

On May 4, 2004, at 5:41 PM, Bob Fitzke wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bob Fitzke <fitzke at MICHCOM.NET>
> Subject:      Re: E for Effort (1940)
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> It seems to me that the original "E for Effort" was a government award
> to
> defense contractors during WW II. On the other hand, my being old
> enough to
> remember that probably brings the accuracy of my memory into the
> equation.
>
> Bob
> You do not reason a man out of something he was not reasoned into ---
> Jonathon Swift
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wilson Gray" <hwgray at EARTHLINK.NET>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 8:43 AM
> Subject: Re: E for Effort (1940)
>
>
>> How old are you? I'm nearly 70 and it's "E for effort" that I recall
>> from my elementary-school years in the early '40's. "A for effort"
>> feels like a hypercorrection, as you imply when you say that "'A' is
>> easier to understand."
>>
>> -Wilson Gray
>>
>> On May 3, 2004, at 11:17 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <bjb5 at U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
>>> Subject:      Re: E for Effort (1940)
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> --
>>> --------
>>>
>>> Thank you for this interesting history, Barry.
>>>
>>> I've heard that version, but I more commonly hear, and I use "A for
>>> effort". When I hear "E", I always wonder if it's a failing grade, so
>>> the
>>> "A" is easier to understand.
>>>
>>> Benjamin Barrett
>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]
>>>>
>>>> E FOR EFFORT--3,270 Google hits, 2,120 Google Groups hits
>>>>
>>>>  Who grades with this letter?
>>>>  Not in OED, HDAS, CASSELL DICTIONARY OF SLANG?
>>>>  Was this coined by Bing Crosby in ROAD TO SINGAPORE?
>>>
>>
>