HELP

Tim B. sent a query about "doing it up brown":

I was recently researching on-line the origins of the phrase to "do things up brown." I found it in an old letter from WWII era. I assume it means to do things up right?? But why brown? Anyone there know where that phrase came from? I'm currently writing a book about a WWII veteran, and he used the phrase in a letter.

I told Tim we discussed that phrase recently and while I've found possible origins online (brown meat means cook well done; wrap in brown paper) no one turned up anything convincing although several people have heard the expression. "Brown off" is British slang for "make angry"; don't know if there's any connection. Any British readers have an idea where that came from?

However, "brown" comes from the same Indo-European root as "bright" and "burnish" so maybe there's an ancient connection there. I believe in going back to the roots. It is an old expression so maybe we've just lost the sense of it.

JUST BETWEEN ME AND HE

The urgency of a news story could make anyone careless of grammar, but why does it make people make sort of pretentious, uber-grammatical mistakes instead of reverting to casual speech, such as in this report of "a video showing both he and [someone else]...."? Remember our rule, revert to a single person to test whether you need the objective or subjective case: you'd never say "a video showing he."

NON-J

I keep reading this to see if I'm missing something. It's an ad from a newspaper headlined "Open the Door to Your Jewish Identity: Do you have Jewish or Non-Jewish parents, grandparents, or close relatives who were or may have been Jewish?" As far as I know, my relatives were non-Jews who were not Jewish.

By the way, I noticed more than once people going on about people and places damaged by the recent unpleasantness all over the Middle East, but Israel is not included. A Vietnam veterans group was soliciting help for Lebanese war victims, and cartoonist Gary Trudeau deplored every hot spot except Israel. Seems like I've seen other instances of this blind spot but I didn't write them down.

FAKE SWEARING

We hear stuff in movies now and even on TV that would have been shocking in an alley a generation ago. Erring in the other direction, a character on TV said this, as a swearing substitute: "Sweet fancy Moses!" Has anyone out there ever heard this expression? Is it supposed to be a mild substitute for something else, and if so, what? I hear people swear by Jesus and by God but not by Moses. I've heard "Sweet Jesus!" but never "fancy Jesus." I'd like to ask the script writer, like Dr. Phil, "How's that working for you?" It's not working.

ONLINE CLASSES

Just a reminder that you can take online classes, some free, at Barnes & Noble.com - Barnes & Noble University. Heree are a few:

The Art of the Short Story with Gotham Writer's Workshop

Everyday Ethics

Forensics with Court TV

Grammar Fitness

Understanding Islam Today

Walking Through Shakespeare: The Comedies

Writing Memoir with Gotham Writers' Workshop

Writing Romance with Gotham Writers' Workshop

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

I'm not convinced that these are all taught by experts, or that I could learn to think like Leonardo or understand Islam today, but who knows?

PECCABLE ENGLISH

Way back last year Anne DaBee responded to my word "effable" and mentioned a New Yorker piece by Jack Winter (25 July 1994), which she didn't know I had used in teaching once. You might enjoy it:

How I Met My Wife

It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate. I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way. I wanted desperately to meet her, but I knew I'd have to make bones about it since I was travelling cognito. Beknownst to me, the hostess, whom I could see both hide and hair of, was very proper, so it would be skin off my nose if anything bad happened. And even though I had only swerving loyalty to her, my manners couldn't be peccable. Only toward and heard-of behavior would do.

Fortunately, the embarrassment that my maculate appearance might cause was evitable. There were two ways about it, but the chances that someone as flappable as I would be ept enough to become persona grata or a sung hero were slim. I was, after all, something to sneeze at, someone you could easily hold a candle to, someone who usually aroused bridled passion. So I decided not to risk it.

But then, all at once, for some apparent reason, she looked in my direction and smiled in a way that I could make heads or tails of. I was plussed. It was concerting to see that she was communicado, and it nerved me that she was interested in a pareil like me, sight seen. Normally, I had a domitable spirit, but, being corrigible, I felt capacitated ~ as if this were something I was great shakes at ~ and forgot that I had succeeded in situations like this only a told number of times.

So, after a terminable delay, I acted with mitigated gall and made my way through the ruly crowd with strong givings. Nevertheless, since this was all new hat to me and I had no time to prepare a promptu speech, I was petuous. Wanting to make only called-for remarks, I started talking about the hors d'oeuvres, trying to abuse her of the notion that I was sipid, and perhaps even bunk a few myths about myself. She responded well, and I was mayed that she considered me a savory character who was up to some good. She told me who she was. "What a perfect nomer," I said, advertently. The conversation become more and more choate, and we spoke at length to much avail. But I was defatigable, so I had to leave at a godly hour. I asked if she wanted to come with me. To my delight, she was committal. We left the party together and have been together ever since. I have given her my love, and she has requited it.

ERRATUM

Dave DaBee reminded me a couple of weeks ago that Africa is a continent, not a country (I lumped it in with names of countries translated into Navajo). I know that and I knew it then.

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