Bigamy with three wives

[Laurence Urdang]

I trust that you're not suggesting that this "[old] man from Old Lyme" is the one in your lymerick.
  L. Urdang

Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Laurence Horn
Subject: Re: Bigamy with three wives
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On the other hand, there's the testimony of a certain fellow up I-95 from here:

There once was a man of Old Lyme
Who married three wives at a time.
When asked, "Why a third?"
He replied, "One's absurd!
And bigamy, sir, is a crime."

LH


At 11:59 AM -0400 7/9/07, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>Yesterday the Boston area RCN cable channel information described the
>1993 movie "The Man with Three Wives" as "Based on the true story of
>a bigamous physician." Well, I suppose -- polygamy is two letters longer.
>
>The OED2's most recent use in this expanded sense (bigamy, n.,1.b.,
>"loosely") is from 1635: J . Taylor (Water P.) Old Parr Dj, Each man
>had many wives, which Bigamie, Was such increase to their Posterity.
>
>But here is a
>postdating:
>http://watchingtheimages.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html. "He
>was also juggling three wives, Robyn (Pam Dawber), Katy (Joanna
>Kerns), and Lillian (Kathleen Lloyd). The man made damn sure that
>none of the women knew they were part of bigamy."
>
>Joel
>Who has imagined that when Mitt Romney is next asked for his views on
>gay marriage, permitted in his former domain, he will reply that
>according to his creed marriage is a sacred contract between one man
>and several women.
>
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org