[Ads-l] Origins of Trump Epithet

[Peter Reitan]

Used before April 10, 1888.  Whether it was originally used by Graydon Carter or not, he was quoted as supporting the characterization.


>From - Donald Trump called 'short fingered vulgarian' (Boston Globe) in the News-Journal (Mansfield, Ohio), April 10, 1988, page 13<https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17882453/newsjournal/>.

"A visitor has asked why Spy bothers paying $60,000 to fact-checkers, and yet publishes recklessly insulting epithets - like "short fingered vulgarian" - to describe its favorite targets - like real estate mogul Donald Trump.  'There's no factual problem,' insists Graydon Carter, one of the magazine's three founders, staring down at his own full-length fingers.  'Trump has short fingers, and he's a vulgarian.  I think the checkers did their job admirably.'"


________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2018 6:40:47 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Origins of Trump Epithet

---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
Subject:      Origins of Trump Epithet
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An epithet that has been applied to Donald Trump ("short-fingered vulgarian=
 from Queens") is said to have been coined by Graydon Carter in Spy Magazin=
e in 1988, but the details of the coinage are a bit elusive.  Is anyone abl=
e to confirm for me which 1988 issue of Spy introduced this phrase, and was=
 it used in an article by Carter or in a parodic advertisement appearing in=
 the magazine without Carter's byline?


Fred Shapiro

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org