"A Quaker hates a parrot"
Jonathan Lighter
wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Wed Oct 13 02:00:02 UTC 2010
Because parrots swear?
Because their dress is too colorful?
Because they're pirates?
All of the above?
JL
On Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 9:49 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject: "A Quaker hates a parrot"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A correspondent asks:
>
> >In Way of the World, Witwould says that Lady Wishfort "hates
> >Mirabell worse than a Quaker hates a parrot or than a fishmonger
> >hates a hard frost."
> >I can see where a fishmonger would hate a hard frost, but why would
> >a Quaker hate a parrot?
> >The only reasons that occur to me are that Quakers value silence and
> >parrots are said to be noisy, or that a parrot who spoke might
> >repeat words no Quaker should know.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Joel
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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