Viral Quotes: Remark about a funeral: I approve of it (attrib Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar 1887; attrib Mark Twain 1938)

[Jonathan Lighter]

Common when I was a kid, but I haven't heard it in many years.

The orig. sense seems to have been "It's your affair" rather than "It's your
opportunity to destroy yourself."

Lowdown in HDAS.

JL

On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 12:27 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Viral Quotes: Remark about a funeral: I approve of it
> (attrib
>              Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar 1887; attrib Mark Twain 1938)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Speaking of which, how about "It's your funeral", with the usual
> current rhetorical force?
>
> LH
>
> At 11:51 AM -0400 5/9/11, victor steinbok wrote:
> >I approve of it.
> >
> >VS-)
> >
> >On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 11:48 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> ><wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>  I like it!
> >>
> >>  JL
> >>
> >>  On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 11:47 AM, Garson O'Toole
> >>  <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:
> >>
> >>  >
> >>  > Thanks for responding with valuable material from your searches
> Victor.
> >>  >
> >>  > Wendell Phillips died on Feb. 7, 1884 according to Britannica. Here
> is
> >>  > a cite with a version of the joke on February 29th. So the quip was
> in
> >>  > circulation within weeks of the death of Phillips.
> >>  >
> >>  > Cite: 1884 February 29, Cincinnati Commercial Gazette (Cincinnati
> >>  > Commercial Tribune), Approving of the Funeral, Page 2, Column 5,
> >>  > Cincinnati, Ohio. (GenealogyBank)
> >>  >
> >>  > Approving of the Funeral.
> >>  >
> >>  > Boston Post.-The Hon. E. R. Hoar did not love Phillips over much in
> >>  > his later years. It is now reported of him that while the remains of
> >>  > the great agitator were awaiting the final ceremonies a distinguished
> >>  > Cambridge gentleman asked him if he was going to attend Wendell
> >>  > Phillips's funeral. "No," was the reply, "but I approve it!"
> >>  >
> >>  > Garson
> >>
> >
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