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A section for all you budding etymologists where each week the origin of a word or phrase is investigated.
This week it is..... The law is an ass
Said of the application of the law that is contrary to
common sense.
This proverbial expression is of English origin and
the ass being referred to here is the English colloquial
name for a donkey, not the American ‘ass’, which we will
leave behind us at this point. Donkeys have a, somewhat
unjustified, reputation for obstinance and stupidity that
has given us the adjective ‘asinine’. It is the stupidly
rigid application of the law that this phrase calls into
question.
It is easy to find reference works and websites that
attribute the phrase to Charles Dickens, who put it
into print in Oliver Twist, 1838. When Mr. Bumble, the
unhappy spouse of a domineering wife, is told in court
that “...the law supposes that your wife acts under your
direction”, replies:
“If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble, squeezing
his hat emphatically in both hands, “the law is a ass - a
idiot”.
In fact, ‘the law is an ass’ is from a play published by the
English dramatist George Chapman in 1654 - Revenge
for Honour:
Ere he shall lose an eye for such a trifle... For doing
deeds of nature! I’m ashamed. The law is such an ass.
Whoever the author was, we can be sure it wasn’t
Charles Dickens. However, it was Dickens who brought
the phrase to the general public. Oliver Twist was an
enormous success when it was first published as a serial
and has become one of the world’s best selling novels.
Is there an English phrase or saying that you would
like to know more about?
Email it to us on submissions@awolonline.net
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‘Published by’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘written by’. In
1653, Chapman’s play was registered, as The Parricide,
or, Revenge for Honor, to fellow playwright Henry
Glapthorne. Some scholars contend that the play was
the work of neither gentlemen and was written around
1620.
7
October 28, 2015 from 7pm to 8:30pm
Meet the author of ‘The Boy With A Bamboo Heart’
Chantal Jauvin
At Coco 51 on Soi 51 by the sea
Copies of the book available on the night and at Asia Books
Free appetizers and a cash bar
Everyone invited - free raffle for book buyers
facebook.com/chantal.jauvin1
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