The maker of phrases plies a dangerous trade. Very often his phrase is applicable for the momentand for the situation in view of which he coined it, but his coin has only a temporary validity: it isgood for a month or for a year, or for whatever period during which the crisis lasts, and after that itlapses again into a mere token, a thing without value and without meaning. But the phrase cannot, asin the case of a monetary coinage, at once be recalled, for it has gone broadcast over the land, or, atany rate, it is not ...
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The maker of phrases plies a dangerous trade. Very often his phrase is applicable for the momentand for the situation in view of which he coined it, but his coin has only a temporary validity: it isgood for a month or for a year, or for whatever period during which the crisis lasts, and after that itlapses again into a mere token, a thing without value and without meaning. But the phrase cannot, asin the case of a monetary coinage, at once be recalled, for it has gone broadcast over the land, or, atany rate, it is not recalled, and it goes on being passed from hand to hand, its image andsuperscription defaced by wear, long after it has ceased to represent anything. In itself it is obsolete, but people still trade with it, and think it represents what it represented when it came hot from theMint. And, unfortunately, it sometimes happens that it is worse than valueless; it becomes a forgery(which it may not have been when it came into circulation), and deceives those who traffic with it, flattering them with an unfounded possession.Such a phrase, which still holds currency, was once coined by Lord Aberdeen in the period of theCrimean War. 'Turkey is a sick man, ' he said, and added something which gave great offence thenabout the advisability of putting Turkey out of his misery. I do not pretend to quote correctly, butthat was the gist of it. Nor do I challenge the truth of Lord Aberdeen's phrase at the period when hemade it. It possibly contained a temporary truth, a valid point of view, which, if it had been acted on, might have saved a great deal of trouble afterwards, but it missed then, and more than misses now, the essential and salient truth about Turkey. The phrase, unfortunately, still continued to obtaincredit, and nowadays it is a forgery; it rings f
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Add this copy of Personal and Family Names; a Popular Monograph on the to cart. $25.74, good condition, Sold by Doss-Haus Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Redondo Beach, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1968 by Gale Research Company.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good- No Jacket. Book. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Hardcover 1968 reprint of 1883 edition. Ex-library book with stamps and labels attached. Binding firm. Pages unmarked and clean. Covers have minor wear to edges and corners. Binding reinforced with binding tape at title page hinge. [362 pages]
