[Ads-l] Adage: The young sow wild oats. The old grow sage

[Laurence Horn]

> On Apr 2, 2017, at 6:55 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> The April 2017 issue of "The 'Quote...Unquote' Newsletter" is
> available and Nigel Rees has some kind words about "Hemingway Didn't
> Say That". He also provides a valuable historical perspective on
> quotation research. A topic he knows well because he has been and
> remains a central figure in the acquisition and sharing of fascinating
> reliable information about the provenance of adages, quips, and
> quotations.
> 
> http://www.quote-unquote.org.uk/
> 
> The April newsletter ends with a discussion of a jest attributed to
> Winston Churchill that was mentioned in comedian Stephen Fry's recent
> memoir. Here is a link to my analysis.
> 
> The young sow wild oats. The old grow sage
> http://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/04/02/sage/
> 
Just think—we can now attribute the adage to Byron, and enjoy the misapprehension.  

My own problem is that when I read (but not hear) a line that begins

“The young sow”

my thoughts turn not to wild oats but to silk purses and such.  (“You can’t make a silk ear from a young sow’s wild oats”?)

LH

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