new (?) proverb

[Jonathan Lighter]

A GB search for "amateurs practice * get it right, professionals" finds only
13 exx., beginning (they say) in 1997.

The saying gives signs of taking off after 2005. Now there are 333,000 G
hits.

JL

On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 9:52 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: new (?) proverb
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Also, I thought eunuchs couldn't do it.
>
> JL
>
> On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 9:51 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > Naah.
> >
> > FWIW, those shirts were big ca1976.
> >
> > JL
> >
> >   On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 9:08 AM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      Re: new (?) proverb
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Could there be some influence from the cluster of "do it" jokes of the
> >> type,
> >> "Programmers do it with UNIX"?
> >>
> >> VS-)
> >>
> >> On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 9:02 AM, Jonathan Lighter <
> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >> >wrote:
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Twice in the past six months I've heard the following.  The precise
> >> wording
> >> > is what I heard on CNN this morning:
> >> >
> >> > "There's a saying that amateurs do it till they get it right,
> >> professionals
> >> > do it till they can't get it wrong,"
> >> >
> >> > The first time I heard it, it referred to musicians (am pretty sure
> the
> >> > verb there was "practice").  This morning it referred to the commando
> >> raid
> >> > on Bin Laden's place.
> >> >
> >> > The speaker was a former Navy SEAL, probably in his mid to late '60s.
> >> >
> >> > JL
> >>
> >>  ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >  "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
>  ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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