[Ads-l] Phrase: drop-dead gorgeous - NYT obit for Richard Corliss and OED

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 01:42:17PM -0400, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> The Wikipedia article for Richard Corliss has now been updated to
> remove the claim. The edit history indicated that the modification was
> performed by a person who was not a registered Wikipedian. Below is
> the comment that accompanied the change:
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> (Not true, "drop-dead gorgeous" was not coined by Corliss. He used the
> term, but there are many earlier examples.)
> [End excerpt]

(I am the person who made that change. When I do edit Wikipedia, I do so
anonymously, because I have no need for self-aggrandizement; I never do
anything that could possibly be regarded as a conflict of interest.)

> Jesse was probably addressing Ben. But I will comment because it is an
> interesting question.
> 
> Nowadays, I do not modify public-facing Wikipedia pages. Multiple
> reference notes in Wikipedia and Wikiquote now point to the Quote
> Investigator (QI) website. The QI website is treated as a reliable
> source. Making direct modifications in Wikipedia can raise complex
> issues involving conflict of interest.

I agree that there can be various issues involved, not least with regard
to Wikipedia taking traffic that could be going to, say, you. Still, I
think it is generally a good thing to try to ensure its accuracy.

Jesse Sheidlower

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