Quip: I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed

[David Barnhart]

An expression worthy of Sherlock Holmes.  Just ask Dr. Watson.

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
ADSGarson O'Toole
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 10:42 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Quip: I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are
unarmed

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Quip: I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you
              are unarmed
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Back on May 21, 2010 Victor Steinbok initiated a thread about a joke
employed by Anthony Weiner. Participants on the thread included Jon Lighter,
Benjamin Zimmer and Bill Mullins.

Versions of the jest have been attributed to William Shakespeare, Mark
Twain, Oscar Wilde, and Winston Churchill which tells one absolutely nothing
about the actual origin.

The new QI article includes acknowledgements to the ADS discussants:

I Would Challenge You To a Battle of Wits, But I See You Are Unarmed
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/06/24/wit-battle/

Additional interesting citations would be welcomed. Thanks.
Garson


On Fri, May 21, 2010 at 1:11 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
<Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: OT: half-wits (UNCLASSIFIED)
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>
> THE SCREEN
> New York Times Aug 20, 1937; pg. L21 col 1
>
> "Alan Mowbray nicely caricatures the plight of a man entering a battle 
> of wits half equipped."
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On 
>> Behalf Of Benjamin Zimmer
>> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 9:03 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: OT: half-wits
>>
>> > > > Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) says he never meant to engage in a
>> "battle
>> > > > of wits" with Glenn Beck over the Fox News host's pitching for
>> Goldline.
>> > > > "As you know," Weiner said, "he comes only half prepared to 
>> > > > that
>> battle."
>> >
>> > I don't know where, but I read this or a very similar line many
> years
>> ago.
>>
>> I don't have YBQ handy, but one form of the modern proverb is "The 
>> fellow who thinks himself a wit is usually half right." The databases 
>> have variations on the line going back to the early 1930s at least.
>>
>>
>
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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