[Ads-l] Wueen For A Day

[Baker, John]

“Queen for a Day” is a fairly recent term, although I found one reference from 1988 in the Antitrust Law Journal.  It probably does derive from the radio/TV show, and that derivation is supported by Wikipedia.  However, references to “queen for a day” probably all ultimately derive from the opera La Reine d’un Jour, libretto by  Eugène Scribe and Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and music by Adolphe Adam; it was translated into English by John Thomas Haines and first performed under the title A Queen for a Day at the Surrey Theatre on 14 June 1841.


John Baker


From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ben Zimmer
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 9:32 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Wueen For A Day

External Email - Think Before You Click


On the Rachel Maddow Show just now, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade
confirmed that this usage of "Queen for a Day" comes from the
radio/television game show. She called it an "old-fashioned" term.


On Thu, Feb 15, 2018 at 8:47 PM, James A. Landau <JJJRLandau at netscape.com<mailto:JJJRLandau at netscape.com>>
wrote:

> probably from the (mercifully forgotten) 1950's TV show, but with legal
> jargon who knows? Goes back to the Tudors?
>
> https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/politics/rick-gates-plea-<https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/politics/rick-gates-plea->
> deal-mueller-russia-investigation/index.html
> <quote>
> Gates has already spoken to Mueller's team about his case and has been in
> plea negotiations for about a month. He's had what criminal lawyers call a
> "Queen for a Day" interview, in which a defendant answers any questions
> from the prosecutors' team, including about his own case and other
> potential criminal activity he witnessed.
>
> <snip>
>
> Nobody (who's charged) goes in to provide incriminating information to the
> government unless it's part of plea negotiations," said a criminal defense
> attorney who represents a witness in the case. In a Queen for a Day
> interview, a defendant can typically admit to crimes with little additional
> consequences, unless he or she lies.
> <end quote>
>
>
>

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