[Ads-l] Quote: Politicians, like diapers, should be changed regularly

[Laurence Horn]

> On Oct 17, 2018, at 6:18 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for your response, Peter. I did see that match in the
> Newspapers.com database. Sadly, the date specified in the database is
> incorrect. An examination of the page image reveals that the correct
> date for this citation is September 10, 1993. I should have given a
> warning.

So not an antedate, but at least it presents as a nice instance of the "Needs Washed" construction, cozily situated within the predicted isogloss, within hailing distance from Pittsburgh.  
> 
> The Newspapers.com database contains many misdated newspaper pages, so
> it is necessary to double-check the page image (as you know). This is
> a danger with some databases, and the antedating quest
> highlights/concentrates errors of this type. Peter is a brilliant and
> careful researcher, and this post is not meant as a criticism.
> Eagerness to quickly share a helpful citation is laudable.
> 
> Garson
> On Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 5:55 PM Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Slightly earlier, by Bill Hastings, a staff writer with the Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania), February 11, 1987, page 11 (newspapers.com), crediting a man named Willie:
>> 
>> "Picking it up from a Reader's Digest fan, Willie, our ex-shoe shine boy, says some politicians are like diapers.  They both need changed often . . . and for the same reason."
>> ________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2018 2:44 PM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Quote: Politicians, like diapers, should be changed regularly
>> 
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Quote: Politicians, like diapers, should be changed regularly
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>> Requests to explore the saying in the subject line have been sent to
>> me. Mark Twain often receives credit although the quip appeared many
>> decades after his death. Barry Popik has a valuable webpage with
>> initial citations dated February 22, 1992; May 1, 1992; and May 25,
>> 1992.
>> 
>> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/politicians_and_diapers_should_both_be_changed_regularly_and_for_the_same_r
>> 
>> I have made incremental progress by finding citations starting October
>> 25, 1987; December 27, 1991; and December 31, 1991. Robin Williams
>> delivered a version of the joke in a 2006 movie.
>> 
>> Constructive feedback welcome. Thanks.
>> https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/10/17/diaper/
>> 
>> Garson
>> 
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