Fun with phrases: "in a previous life"

[Joel S. Berson]

At 7/16/2012 06:01 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Gee, is that funny too?

Jon is a bit elliptical, so I am wondering whether he meant ...
What significant events happened while he was at the head?
Did he spend his entire previous existence there?

Joel


>JL
>
>On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 5:18 PM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Fun with phrases: "in a previous life"
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Samuel Hopkins Adams, "Invaded America," _Everybody's Magazine_ 38, no. 2
> > (Feb. 1918): 30:
> >
> > "Credit . . . is largely due to A. R. Rogers, the chairman.  In a previous
> > existence, Mr. Rogers was at the head of a great lumber company . . . ."
> >
> > --Charlie
> >
> > ________________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of
> > Victor Steinbok [aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM]
> > Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 1:28 PM
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > The expression "that's another life" is quite common in reference to an
> > earlier stage in one's life, usually characterized by a different
> > location, profession or employment, but occasionally also referring to
> > just earlier stages, such college or school years, or periods marked by
> > a cataclysmic event, such as a family member's death, divorce, etc.
> >
> > Eleanor Rosch used to refer to earlier stages in her career as "previous
> > lives", as the directions of her research changed rather drastically
> > between those stages. This is particularly ironic, given her 1990s stage
> > that involved a Buddhist take on cognitive science.
> >
> >      VS-)
> >
> > On 7/16/2012 1:11 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > This means "at an earlier time in one's life."  My wife has been using
> > this
> > > since at least the early '90s, if not the late '80s..
> > >
> > > A TV weatherman explained today that "in a previous life," about fifteen
> > > years ago, he owned a small farm.
> > >
> > > The earliest I can find in GB:
> > >
> > > 1993 in _H.R. 3600, The Health Security Act_ (Washington, D.C.: USGPO,
> > > 1994) IV 212 (GB snippet, looks real): MR. CONDRON: In a previous life I
> > > was a congressional aide to your late colleague and a great man, Silvio
> > > Conte of Massachusetts.
> > >
> > > 2000 Jay Hopkins in _Flying_  (July) 59: In a previous life, I served as
> > a
> > > school consultant for the Onondaga Council on Alcoholism in New York.
> > >
> > > JL
> >
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