Quote: Age before beauty. And pearls before swine (antedating Dorothy Parker 1941 January 4)

Garson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Sat Aug 7 22:18:02 UTC 2010


The Yale Book of Quotations currently provides a 1944 citation for the
barb delivered by Dorothy Parker in the anecdote below. YBQ casts
doubt on the story, and it is labeled apocryphal by the New Yorker in
1941.

Cite: 1941 January 4, The New Yorker, "Profiles: The Candor Kid - Part
1", Page 22, New York. (The New Yorker archive)

Mrs. Parker's disinclination for Miss Boothe is said to have sprung
from the familiar but apocryphal incident of the two ladies' happening
to enter a restaurant at the same time, several years ago. "Age before
beauty," said Miss Boothe to Mrs. Parker, according to this tale. "And
pearls before swine," Mrs. Parker replied sweeping ahead.

Garson

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