[Ads-l] Adage: Beauty=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_?=only skin deep, but ugliness goes to the bone

Sat Oct 10 23:16:26 UTC 2020

FWIW, the only version of this that I've ever heard, before now, is,

"Beauty's only skin-deep, but ugly is to the bone."

I had no idea that there was a "proper-English" version. I've never heard
it
used or discussed in any form or fashion by white people before now,
either.
Well, I am familiar with y'all's use of the "Beauty's only skin-deep" part,
from literature and cinema.

On Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 11:36 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> While "God don't like ugly" is indeed a common Africn-American expression,
> my gut tells me that if the "old man" in 1912 was not white, the Oklahoma
> paper would have said so.
>
> JL
>
> On Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 10:53 AM Tom Zurinskas <truespel at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > That's backward.
> >
> >
> > Tom Zurinskas,  Originally from SW Conn 20 yrs,  college NE Tenn 3,  work
> > SE NJ  33,  resides SE Florida 18...  truespel.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > Margaret Lee <0000006730deb3bf-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Sent: Friday, October 9, 2020 10:30 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: Re: Adage: Beauty’s only skin deep, but ugliness goes to the
> bone
> >
> > "God don't like ugly" is an expression from the African American oral
> > tradition and defined as referring to "some negative action,  behavior,
> or
> > attitude displeasing to the Creator, and you will be punished."  (Geneva
> > Smitherman, _Black Talk_, 2000, p.151).
> > The Temptations' hit  "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" was recorded in 1966.
> > --Margaret Lee
> >     On Thursday, October 8, 2020, 10:38:25 AM EDT, Jonathan Lighter <
> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >  Re nominal "ugly."
> >
> > 1912 Muskogee Times-Democrat (May 10, 1912) 1: “God don’t like ugly,” was
> > the way he prefaced his explanation.
> >
> > The speaker is described as an "old man" in Louisiana.
> >
> > For those who don't know, the statement is proverbial.
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Sep 26, 2020 at 10:27 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> > adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Wonderful! Jonathan and John, thanks for locating and sharing some
> > > fine citations. The QI article has now been updated although it may
> > > take some time before the changes are visible to all website visitors
> > > because of distributed caching.
> > >
> > > [Begin acknowledgement update]
> > > Special thanks to John Baker who located the important 1824 citation
> > > and Jonathan Lighter who located the entertaining 1859 verse.
> > > [End acknowledgement update]
> > >
> > > Garson
> > >
> > > On Sat, Sep 26, 2020 at 4:01 PM Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com>
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Antedated in American Farmer (Jan. 23, 1824) (Google Books):  “It is
> a
> > > trite saying that beauty is but skin deep, yet I have heard it said
> that
> > > ugly goes to the bone, and I am sure there is nothing in this doctrine
> so
> > > beautiful as to prevent its penetrating even to the marrow.”
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > John Baker
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of
> > > Jonathan Lighter
> > > > Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 10:45 AM
> > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > > Subject: Re: Adage: Beauty’s only skin deep, but ugliness goes to the
> > > bone
> > > >
> > > > External Email - Think Before You Click
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > 1859 _North Carolina University Magazine_ (March) 329:
> > > > Let him remember, however,
> > > >
> > > > Beauty's but skin deep,
> > > > Ugly's to the bone;
> > > > Beauty ever fades away,
> > > > Ugly holds its own.
> > > >
> > > > Don't ignore the early appearance of nominalized "ugly."
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > > >
> > > > On Sat, Sep 26, 2020 at 8:39 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> > > adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com<mailto:adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Dorothy Parker sometimes has been given credit for the remark
> "Beauty
> > > > > is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone". An interaction
> > on
> > > > > twitter inspired me to investigate this saying, and the results are
> > > > > available here:
> > > > >
> > > > > https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/09/25/skin-deep/<
> > > https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/09/25/skin-deep>
> > > > >
> > > > > In 1829 a newspaper in Exeter, England printed an anonymous short
> > item
> > > > > that partially matched the saying under examination:
> > > > >
> > > > > [ref] 1829 February 5, Trewman’s Exeter Flying-Post, Varieties,
> Quote
> > > > > Page 4, Column 1, Exeter, Devon, England. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
> > > > >
> > > > > [Begin excerpt]
> > > > > "Beauty is but skin deep," quoth an old maid, who had no
> pretensions
> > > > > to it; "and so is ugliness," replied a young lady who had no
> > > > > pretensions to that.
> > > > > [End excerpt]
> > > > >
> > > > > In 1840 a collection of essays and illustrations titled "Heads of
> the
> > > > > People; or, Portraits of the English" was published in London. The
> > > > > piece "Tavern Heads" by Charles Whitehead included dialog
> containing
> > > > > the twisted adage:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > https://books.google.com/books?id=4rkTAAAAQAAJ&q=+ugliness+#v=snippet&
> > > <
> https://books.google.com/books?id=4rkTAAAAQAAJ&q=+ugliness+#v=snippet&>
> > > > >
> > > > > [ref] 1840, Heads of the People; or, Portraits of the English,
> Drawn
> > > > > by Kenny Meadows, With Original Essays by Distinguished Writers,
> > > > > Tavern Heads by Charles Whitehead, Start Page 113, Quote Page 142,
> > > > > Robert Tyas, London. (Google Books Full View) [/ref]
> > > > >
> > > > > [Begin excerpt]
> > > > > "When beauty was shared, I was behind the door, and my portion came
> > > > > through the keyhole, I’m sure: but beauty’s only skin deep, after
> > all,
> > > > > they say."
> > > > >
> > > > > "But ugliness goes to the bone, they say also," remarked Mrs.
> > Chatham,
> > > > > laughing. "Ah! Susan, you’re a sly girl."
> > > > > [End excerpt]
> > > > >
> > > > > Dorothy Parker died in 1967, and the earliest linkage between
> Parker
> > > > > and the saying apparently occurred in 1977. This evidence was not
> > > > > substantive, and QI believes that the attribution to Parker is
> > > > > currently unsupported.
> > > > >
> > > > > Feedback welcome,
> > > > > Garson O'Toole
> > > > >
> > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<
> > > http://www.americandialect.org>
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > truth."
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<
> > > http://www.americandialect.org>
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

-- 
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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