"Killing is our business, and business is good"

[Dave Wilton]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
> Of Fred Shapiro
> Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 7:35 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: "Killing is our business, and business is good"
>
>
> On Mon, 3 Jan 2005, Mullins, Bill wrote:
>
> > Note that this is George S. Patton, JR. -- son of the WWII general.
>
> You sound pretty definite about the origin of this quotation, whereas
> quotations such as this don't usually have clearcut origins.  Do you have
> any basis for the Patton son attribution?

Actually, George S. Patton, Jr. is the WWII general. His son was George III.

AFAIK, the phrase is Vietnam-era. I don't know of any solid connection to
any of the Pattons.

--Dave Wilton
  dave at wilton.net
  http://www.wilton.net