"Emeritus" means...

Tue Sep 14 14:29:24 UTC 2004

I heard this joke from Prof. Robert Fowkes, once chair of the NYU German dept., probably 15 or 20 years ago.  His version was more philological, as should be expected from a man who was compiling a comparative etymolgical dictionary of the Celtic languages.

"Professor emeritus -- from the Latin: e, ex, you're out; meritus, and you deserve it."  Quoting by memory, of course.

He was a joker, and capable of contriving this joke himself.

GAT

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

----- Original Message -----
From: Bapopik at AOL.COM
Date: Monday, September 13, 2004 11:56 pm
Subject: "Emeritus" means...

> E+MEANS+EDITOR+EMERITUS--331 Google hits, 25 Google Groups hits
>
> Did Rupert Murdoch really coin this? It sounds like an older joke to
> me...Notice the slight changes of "E" from "elbow" to "exit."
>
> I have some hits on Proquest, but my SABR account can't open the
> articles.Does anyone else have this problem today?
>
>
> 13 September 2004, NEW YORK SUN, pg. 9, col. 3:
> _Mark Steyn_ on why Dan Rather may soon be promoted to editor emeritus
> _Laughably Fake_
> (...)(Col.5--ed.)
> Remember the Adolf Hitler Diaries? They turned up in the 1980s.
> Only problem
> is they weren't by Hitler. But by then various prestige
> publications had paid
> a fortune to serialize them. Among them was The Sunday Times of
> London, owned
> by Mr. Murdoch, who wasn;t happy. He called the editor, Frank
> Giles, into his
> office, and said, "Frank, I;m promoting you to editor emeritus."
>
> "I've always wondered," murmured Mr. Giles, "what 'editor
> emeritus' means."
>
> "The 'e' means you've been given the elbow and the 'meritus' means
> that you
> bloody well deserve it," said Murdoch.
>
>
> (GOOGLE GROUPS)
> Exclusive! Handwriting Expert Says Bush Wrote The Hitler Diaries ...
> ... I've always wondered,'' murmured Frank, ''what 'editor
> emeritus' means.''
> ''The
> 'e-' means you've been given the elbow and the '-meritus' means
> you bloody
> ...
> alt.fan.howard-stern - Sep 13, 2004 by Pookie - View Thread (1
> article)
> News and let's pretend
> ... I've always wondered, what 'editor emeritus' means," murmured
> Frank. "The
> 'e-' means
> you've been given the elbow and the '-meritus' means you bloody
> deserve it
> ...
> alt.fan.howard-stern - Sep 13, 2004 by Pookie - View Thread (1
> article)
> Re: [pgsql-www] Changes to Contributor List
> ... Editor Emeritus". The editor asked what it meant and Murdoch
> is reported
> to have
> replied "It's Latin, Frank. The 'e' means you're out and the
> 'meritus' means
> ...
> comp.databases.postgresql.hackers - Nov 5, 2003 by Andrew Dunstan -
> View
> Thread (34 articles)
>
> Re: English PROOFREADING & EDITING service offered
> ... title of Professor Emeritus on retirement, but it's by no
> means automatic
> ... one of his
> editors he said 'I'm making you Editor Emeritus. Big 'E' meaning
> you're out
> ...
> alt.usage.english - Oct 31, 2002 by John Dean - View Thread (93
> articles)
> Re: Garry Bushell (Re: TV Last Night)
> ... sideways and gave him the title "Editor Emeritus". When asked
> what this
> meant, the
> bouncing Czech replied "'E' means he's out and 'meritus' means he
> deserved it
> ...
> uk.media.tv.misc - Jul 18, 2001 by Ian F. - View Thread (6 articles)
>
> Re: Lurkers: (scientologists)
> ... It went along the lines of: "Frank, we've made you Emeritus.
> The 'E'
> means
> you're extraneous, the 'meritus' means you've deserved it." tam
> alt.religion.scientology - Mar 11, 2000 by Thomas J Best - View
> Thread (13
> articles)
>
> Re: Classical Judaism by Israel Shahak
> Nothing at all. Emeritus professors are retired. In the immortal
> words of
> Robert
> Maxwell RIP: "`E' means he's out. And `meritus' means he deserves
> to be." jds
>
> alt.revisionism - May 18, 1999 by Joe Slater - View Thread (4
> articles)
> Re: SOME UFOs NEED INVESTIGATION - Dr. Von R. Eshleman, Emeritus ...
> ... Dr. Von R. Eshleman, Emeritus Prof of EE,Stanford University
> E=out;meritus =
> desrves to be -- Failure doesn't mean you can't; It just means you
> haven'talt.alien.research - Sep 21, 1998 by Jerry Bryson - View
> Thread (29 articles)
>
> Re: SPAMBUNNY NEEDS INVESTIGATION
> ... R. Eshleman, Emeritus Prof of EE,Stanford University E Latin
> for "out"
> meritus Latin
> for "deserves to be" -- Failure doesn't mean you can't; It just
> means you ...
>
> alt.alien.research - Sep 14, 1998 by Jerry Bryson - View Thread (1
> article)
> Sunday Times and Hitler Diaries [Off-Topic]
> ... title of Editor Emeritus. When Giles asked what that meant,
> Murdochsupposedly replied
> "It's Latin Frank. The "e" means you're out, and the "meritus"
> means you ...
> soc.history.medieval - Apr 20, 1998 by D. Spencer Hines - View
> Thread (4
> articles)
>
>
> (GOOGLE)
> http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2000/10/08/stories/13080833.htm
> Is this a romantically idealised view? I believe it is not, even
> though many
> people may argue that in an intensely realistic world such
> emphasis on
> belonging is eye-wash. My feelings about it are coloured by the
> fact that, as this
> month begins, I reach the age at which my Fellowship of my
> college, which I
> joined 32 years ago, is transformed into an emeritus Fellowship. I
> am reminded of
> the story of a distinguished newspaper editor who was replaced by the
> proprietor - and as a sop to his pride made editor emeritus. He
> asked the proprietor
> what exactly emeritus meant. "The 'e' means you are no longer
> editor; the
> 'meritus' means that you do not deserve to be," came the brutal reply.
>
> Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The buck stops where?
> ... "What does 'editor emeritus' mean?" he asked. "E means you're
> out, and
> meritus
> means you deserve it," was reputedly Murdoch's reply. ...
> www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,667139,00.html - 42k -
> Cached -
> Similar pages
>
> September-October 99 Reunion Notes 44-49
> ... and President Emeritus Frank Rhodes. He told us "old college
> presidentslose their
> faculties, but not their alumni! The 'E' means out and 'meritus'
> that you ...
>
> cornell-magazine.cornell.edu/ Archive/Sept.1999/SeptReunNotes44-
> 49.html - 15k
> - Cached - Similar pages
>
> Mail-Jewish Volume 24 Number 86
> ... McGinley, once the Fordham president, is reported to have
> explained that
> he was
> "emeritus" because "e" means you're outta there and "meritus"
> means you ought
> ...
> www.ottmall.com/mj_ht_arch/v24/mj_v24i86.html - 17k - Cached -
> Similar pages
>
> George Bush Presidential Library and Museum
> ... I studied Latin for 4 years. Soon you will be chairman
> emeritus. ``E'' in
> Latin means out -- ``meritus'' damn well deserves to be. ...
> bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/papers/1989/89073100.html - 51k -
> Cached -
> Similar pages
>
> OSSTF District 13: Quotes about Education
> ... We have forgotten that the "public" in public schools means
> not just ...
> In other words
> I am what is called a professor emeritus - from the Latin e, "out"
> and ...
> www.district13.on.ca/quotes.htm - 35k - Cached - Similar pages
>
> MURDOCH: REVISED AND UPDATED
> ... should assume the title of Editor Emeritus ... Giles asked
> Murdoch what
> this title
> really meant . Its Latin, Frank. E means exit and meritus means
> you deserve
> ...
> www.self-help-hub.com/MURDOCH_ REVISED_AND_UPDATED_0684830159.html
> - 15k -
> Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages
>
> May 1996 / Mai 1996
> ... meetings, publications, newsletters, and any other means it
> deems ...
> University of
> Saskatchewan, became Professor Emeritus (from the Latin e - out,
> meritus ...
> www.c18.org/scedhs-csecs/csecs.b0596.html - 93k - Cached - Similar
> pages
> PDF] A Brookings Macroeconomic Forum DO BUDGET DEFICITS MATTER?
> The ...
> File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
> Your browser may not have a PDF reader available. Google
> recommends visiting
> our text version of this document.
> ... true that the act of not saving all its life means it has ...
> Emeritus,you know, is
> from the Latin ... E or X meaning more or less outside of, and meritus
> meaning merit ...
> www.brookings.org/dybdocroot/comm/events/20030311.pdf - Similar pages
>
>
> (PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)("emeritus" + "meritus" + "e")
>    1.  "LET'S GO" -- To Church -- YOUR Church
> The Washington Post (1877-1954). Washington, D.C.: Nov 12, 1927.
> p. 4 (1
> page)
>
>    2.  Plan Rites for W. E. Dodd, A. MacLeish Wednesday
> Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1963). Chicago, Ill.: Apr 7, 1940. p.
> S3 (1 page)
>
>
>    3.  25 TO BE HONORED BY MEDICAL CENTER; Receive Service Awards
> FromColumbia-Presbyterian at 25th Anniversary Fete Oct. 13
> New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Oct 5, 1953.
> p. 24 (1
> page)
>
>    4.  DR. MELISH KEEPS HOME IN RECTORY; Appellate Court Reverses
> OrderOusting 83-Year-Old Clergyman in Brooklyn
> New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Jun 24, 1958.
> p. 25 (1
> page)
>
>    5.  ...on Education
> By Ewald B. Nyquist. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York,
> N.Y.: Dec
> 3, 1977. p. 23 (1 page)
>
>    6.  NEW YORK Day by Day
> Susan Heller AndersonDavid W. Dunlap. New York Times (1857-Current
> file). New
> York, N.Y.: Sep 13, 1985. p. B4 (1 page)
>
>    7.  A Press Lord Without a Rosebud; MURDOCH By William Shawcross.
> Illustrated. 492 pp. New York: Simon & Schuster. $27.50. A Press Lord
> By Andrew Sullivan. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York,
> N.Y.: Jan
> 17, 1993. p. BR3 (2 pages)
>