"Tell It Like It Is"

[Dennis Preston]

Does Howard's use predate Aaron Neville's mid-60's soul hit "Tell it
like it is"?

dInIs

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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <Fred.Shapiro at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      "Tell It Like It Is"
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>Can anyone illuminate the origins of the phrase "tell it like it
>is"?  Wikipedia says Howard Cosell had a catchphrase, "I'm just
>telling it like it is," but I am not sure how that fits in to the
>history of the expression.
>
>Fred Shapiro
>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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