That's Where the Money Is
Misquotations are often more than mistakes, and much more interesting. From "Beam me up, Scotty" to "Play it again, Sam", they have become the shorthand by which we refer to a character or evoke a situation.
Ginger Rogers may never have claimed that she did everything that Fred Astaire did, but also "backwards and in high heels", but the words now both conjure up the famous dancing partnership, and give us a useful phrase for competitive achievement.
Some misquotations are quotations on the move within the language. We unconsciously edit what we remember, to fit what we believe to be the essential truth about a person or an event. The 'misquotation' then flourishes because it enshrines a popular belief, or encapsulates the public profile of a particular person.
"Events, dear boy, events" as a Prime Minister's greatest difficulty catches the tone of Harold Macmillan.
The insouciant "I rob banks because that's where the money is" evokes the public persona of the debonair American bank robber Willie Sutton, known as 'the Actor'.
"If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution", as addressed to a puritanical comrade, has the sparky tone of the revolutionary Emma Goldman.
The injunction "Pray for Shackleton" (from the longer "When disaster strikes, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton") reflects the reputation for competence and effectiveness of the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.
Misquotations which embed themselves in the language are part of our linguistic stock. Tracing their history sheds a fascinating light on language change.
Elizabeth Knowles
01/10/2006
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