[Ads-l] FW: [Non-DoD Source] Re: Child's misunderstanding: "the donzerly light" (UNCLASSIFIED)

Mon Apr 25 21:14:59 UTC 2016

Thanks LH, Bill and everyone. Here are some details for the citation
Bill mentioned.

[ref] 1926 June 13, Des Moines Sunday Register (The Des Moines
Register), Book Gossip: The Pullet's Surprise, Quote Page 7E, Column
6, Des Moines, Iowa. (Newspapers_com)[/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
The following, signed "Quilibet" was culled from the Indianola (Iowa) Record:

"A member of an Iowa high school class to which the teacher of
literature had been talking about the Pulitzer prize awards said in
his examination that Booth Tarkington had 'twice received the Pullet's
Surprise.'
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Mon, Apr 25, 2016 at 4:25 PM, Mullins, Bill CIV (US)
<william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
>
> "Pullet surprise" seems to be in the 13 Jun 1926 Des Moines Register (Newspapers.com premium), but I can't get to it.
>
>
>>
>> Consider the following error that supposedly was made by a student:
>> "In 1957, Eugene O'Neill won a Pullet Surprise."
>>
>> The LA Times mentioned an earlier occurrence. (I haven't tried to trace it, yet.)
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> To date the phrase even further back, Mike Brennan of Pacific Palisades writes that in the book "Bigger and Better Boners: An Up-to-date
>> Compendium of Errors Compiled from Classrooms and Examination Papers by Alexander Abington," 1952, he finds this: "A pullet surprise is
>> given in America every year for the best writings."
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Here is a link to the LA Times article:
>>
>> Date: February 27, 1985
>> Article: 'Pullet surprise' mystery deepens: Malapropism or gin--it's a case of boos
>> Byline: Jack Smith
>> http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-27/news/vw-8930_1_pullet-surprise
>>
>> Garson
>>
> CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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