[Ads-l] Request 01: Quote: [Dancing is] a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire

[Peter Reitan]

I'm only familiar with its corollary as expressed in the old joke:

Why can't Baptists have sex standing up?
Because it might lead to dancing.

> Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2016 17:17:34 -0400
> From: adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
> Subject: Request 01: Quote: [Dancing is] a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Request 01: Quote: [Dancing is] a perpendicular expression of a
>               horizontal desire
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> I've been asked to trace the expression in the subject line which has
> been attributed to George Bernard Shaw. The Yale Books of Quotations
> (and other references) point to "New Statesman" on March 23, 1962.
> 
> First request: I believe that the ProQuest Periodicals database has
> this, and I would love to see the full context. Perhaps someone would
> be willing to relay a PDF?
> 
> Additional background information: I've found variants in which
> "perpendicular expression" is changed to "vertical expression" or
> "vertical manifestation". Also, "horizontal desire" is changed to
> "horizontal wish" or " horizontal idea".
> 
> Here is a fun precursor maxim printed in a London periodical in 1914:
> 
> [ref] 1914 April 16, The New Age: A Weekly Review of Politics,
> Literature, and Art, Volume 14, Number 24, Some Maxims on Americans,
> New York and Newport by Sebastian Sorrell, Quote Page 764, Column 2,
> The New Age Press, Ltd, London. (HathiTrust Full View)[/ref]
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> The Woolworth and Singer Buildings: The perpendicular expression for
> the horizontal growth of American fortunes.
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Garson
> 
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