"cellar door"

[Shapiro, Fred]

No one has mentioned it yet as far as I know, so let me add that Henry James thought "summer afternoon" were the most beautiful words in the English language.

Fred Shapiro



________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Charles Doyle [cdoyle at UGA.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 3:42 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "cellar door"

And while we're on the subject (sort of), does anyone know the history of (or the history of the attribution of) the not-infrequently-recounted anecdote about the wit who declared that the most beautiful word in the English language is "syphilis"? I've heard it credited to Samuel Johnson and perhaps one or two other "quote magnets."

--Charlie

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