S. P. Q. R.

[Jonathan Lighter]

Me neither.

JL

George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: George Thompson
Subject: S. P. Q. R.
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The following is from a portrait of James Gordon Bennett, the most loathed and loathesome newspaper publisher in NYC until Rupert Murdock came to town. But our loss was Australia's gain, I suppose.

1842: I have not said that James Gordon was open hearted or straightforward; nor do I intend to, although I might; for his motto is S. P. Q. R., salaries paid quite regular. [New York] Sunday Mercury, February 7, 1841, p. 2, col. 2

Is or was this twisting of the motto of the Roman Republic traditional? I haven't encountered it before.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African
Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998.

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