The plow and The Three Garridebs (not by O'Casey)

[Wilson Gray]

Thanks, Joel!

-Wilson


On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 11:26 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
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> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: The plow and The Three Garridebs  (not by O'Casey)
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>
> "Plow" is (was) spelled "plough" in England, so Sherlock knew the ad
> was actually placed by the American villain, who has assumed the name
> Garrideb in order to entice a real Garrideb away from his house.  The
> American has presented the advertiser as a third Garrideb, needed in
> order to inherit a magnificent legacy, and induced the real Garrideb
> to go see him at Aston.
>
> Joel
>
> At 10/23/2008 09:16 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
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>>What makes the clue crucial, Joel?
>>
>>-Wilson
>>
>>On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 9:15 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
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>> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> > Subject:      Re: Noah Webster at 250
>> >
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>> >
>> > At 10/22/2008 12:00 AM, Wilson Gray wrote:
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>> >>Dennis Baron writes:
>> >>
>> >>"...plow, not plough ..."
>> >>
>> >>Back in the 'Forties, there was a soap-operatic, cartoon-serial
>> >>entitled _The Gumps_. One day, the Gumps were expecting as dinner
>> >>guest an English gentleman named "Plough." Confusion reigned as to how
>> >>this name might be pronounced, so that introductions would not pose an
>> >>embarrassing problem. Various solutions were proposed. I went with
>> >>"Pluff," myself. It seemed obvious.
>> >>
>> >>When Mr. Plough arrived and was forced to explain to his American
>> >>hosts that his name was pronounced "Plow," exactly as spelled,
>> >>millions of Americans, including your humble correspondent, were taken
>> >>completely by surprise. ...
>> >
>> > Earlier, there is the Sherlock Holmes tale where the crucial clue is
>> > a plow -- in a newspaper advertisement purporting to come from a
>> > constructor of agricultural equipment in Aston.  {"The Adventure of
>> > the Three Garridebs")
>> >
>> > Joel
>> >
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>>
>>
>>--
>>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>-----
>>-Mark Twain
>>
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Mark Twain

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org