ffolliott

[Jonathan Lighter]

Whatever.

The bigger questions are, "Whence these doubled lower-case initials?  Why is
only initial "F" seemingly affected?  Can I do the same with "L" ?

JL
On Sun, Feb 7, 2010 at 11:25 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: ffolliott
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Maybe he said, "fuh-finch...."
>
> JL
>
> On Sun, Feb 7, 2010 at 11:13 PM, Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com>
> wrote:
>
>  > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: ffolliott
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > On Sun, Feb 07, 2010 at 10:32:49AM -0500, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > When I was ten or eleven I saw an old movie on TV that contained the
> > > following bit of dialogue. It always stuck in my mind, which shows that
> > by
> > > that age your kid's fate is sealed.
> > > I'm posting it because I just saw the movie again for the first time
> > since
> > > and it confirmed my recollection. Till now I had no idea what movie it
> > was
> > > because this was the only part I remembered:
> > >
> > > Johnny Jones: This is Scott ffolliott, newspaperman same as you....Mr.
> > > Haverstock, Mr. ffolliott.
> > > Scott ffolliott: With a double 'F'.
> > > Johnny Jones: How do you do?
> > > Scott ffolliott: How do you do?
> > > Johnny Jones: I don't get the double 'F'.
> > > Scott ffolliott: They're at the beginning. Both small 'F's
> > > Johnny Jones: They can't be at the beginning.
> > > Scott ffolliott: One of my ancestors was beheaded by Henry VIII. His
> wife
> > > dropped the capital letter to commemorate it. There it is.
> > > Johnny Jones: How do you say it, like a stutter?
> > > Scott ffolliott: Just a straight 'fuh'.
> > >
> > > There was, of course, the noted English historian "Charles ffoulkes"
> > [sic].
> > > His surname derives from the same source as that of Guy Fawkes, so
> > perhaps
> > > Mr. ffolliott's practice reflects that of Mr. ffoulkes's ffamily.
> >
> > ...All of which reminds me of my favorite passage in all of
> > P.G. Wodehouse (and that is a very high peak indeed):
> >
> >   "Sir Jasper Finch-Farrowmere?" said Wilfred.
> >   "ffinch-ffarrowmere," corrected the visitor, his sensitive ear
> > detecting the capitals.
> >
> > -- P. G. Wodehouse, "A Slice of Life"
> >
> > Jesse Sheidlower
> > OED
> >
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> >
>
>
>
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> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
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