Lauren, Publicity Assistant
For years, the public has not been able to get enough of Paris Hilton. She’s famous as a socialite, heiress, model, and now for joining the likes of Socrates and Mark Twain on the pages of the 
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. No, she’s not quoted for saying, “That’s hot.” Ms. Hilton is instead immortalized for her advice, “Dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in.”
But Paris’s entry is only one of more than 20,000 new quotations added to 7th edition. Other notable inclusions come from Sarah Palin, Stephen Hawking, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Philip Pullman. Here, Oxford Dictionary of Quotations editor Elizabeth Knowles reflects on the history of the almost 70-year-old treasury, and how new entries are chosen. To learn more check out the companion site here.
A classic reference book like this has to be regularly remade, without compromising its essential identity. Can we in fact have the modern and frivolous without damaging our book? I would say most definitely yes, where usage so dictates, and adduce in support two luminaries of the Oxford University Press of over sixty years ago. In 1931, planning the book, Kenneth Sisam, who identified an “intelligent elasticity” as an essential editorial quality, wrote to a colleague, “We shall have to guard against things quotable, as apart from things commonly quoted.” And in 1949, when the second edition was being planned, Humphrey Milford (formerly Publisher to OUP) commented, “I think the levity—comparative—of ODQ is partly the reason for its success.” In other words, the diversity of the book, and its mixture of the deeply serious and the frivolous, based on what people are quoting, is part of its essential nature.
Quotations are part of the fabric of the language: we use, and meet them, every day. We quote when we find that the words of another person, in another time and place, express exactly what we want to say. Or, events bring certain quotations to prominence, as the last year has given new relevance to Thomas Jefferson’s comment that, “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”
A dictionary of quotations is not a roll-call of the great and the good, nor a listing of an editor’s favorite passages. Although having said that, of course we all do have items in which we take a particular pleasure. I was especially pleased that the formulation, “We must guard even our enemies against injustice” (attributed to the radical Tom Paine) was revealed as the writer Graham Greene’s paraphrase of Paine’s more formal eighteenth-century diction. The history of this misquotation—linking two significant figures across the centuries, and coming to light through its resonance today—was very satisfying to explore.
At Oxford, we track language to ensure that we have the quotations people are most likely to look up, so that the next time a half-remembered quotation is on the tip of your tongue, the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is ready with the answer. Inclusion is based on usage: evidence that a spoken comment or written passage is being quoted by others. And while there is a common quotations stock (Shakespeare, the Bible), we all have our own quotations vocabulary, that which we remember and quote because we encountered them at a time when they were particularly significant. The antique and serious often rubs shoulders with popular culture. The same newspaper column, for example, may quote from both the Book of Common Prayer and the Rolling Stones. The result is marvelously diverse, and properly so.
Housecleaning on this blog continues, with only a few more hours left until Chinese New Year. I've got two more posts to finish, and they are both memes!
Six Weird Things About Me
Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule. After you state your 6 weird things, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.
Alvina
tagged me for this meme last March! Basically, I've got to list six weird things about myself. You'd think this would be easy, since friends are forever making fun of me for stuff—like that I like instant mashed potatoes, for instance. But “weird” is in the eye of the beholder, and none of those things are weird to
me. (Instant mashed potatoes are
good!) So I’ve had to think and think.
(I do love real mashed potatoes, by the way. I love all potatoes; I just don’t draw the line at instant. I'm very loyal to my brand, however [Betty Crocker
Potato Buds]. They do something bad to those others.)
Here are six things I've finally come up with that I agree are “weird.”
1. I’ve listened to Mariah Carey’s debut album at least 10,000 times in my life (and counting)This is an actual calculation Damon did after interrogating me on my Mariah Carey-listening patterns one day.
This would
not be weird if I were a big Mariah fan (which would be a different issue), but, in fact, I have a very tortured, almost angry attitude toward her. It would never occur to me to list this album in my top ten, nor Mariah as one of my favorite artists, yet I’ve listened to this album
far more times than I’ve listened to any Tori Amos album, for example, whom I obsessed over for
years. I just like to sing when I drive, and I spend a lot of time in the car, and this is my biggest fallback CD—probably since my driving life began. It cycles on repeat forever.
A close second would be Mariah’s
MTV Unplugged album from 1992. I listen to it just as much but only bought it five years ago, so it can never catch up. Her
Daydream album ranks high on the driving/singing list as well.
I don’t even like to sing these songs at karaoke! (It's not like I sound
good on them.)
Part of what makes this weird is my own lack of self-awareness of it. Every time Damon points out the Mariah phenomenon, I’m surprised, myself, all over again.
2. I make coffee almost every day but don’t drink it. I pour it out.“Everyone’s” addicted to coffee, but I was one of those people
known for it. So, for some, the fact I stopped drinking it is probably weirder than the fact I’m still making it. It’s been almost three years since I quit (2/21/05), yet, whenever I mention it, my friends have nearly always forgotten and freak out again.
(Back when I was a caffiend, people would ask from time to time how much coffee I
really drank, and I’d be all, “Only a cup a day; sometimes I don’t even finish it.” And they’d go, “Wow, that’s nothing!” Then one day some friends came over and saw my “cup.” They
really made fun of that. It was basically a stein. I hadn’t thought about that.)
When I first quit coffee, I also quit making it.
My body quit very suddenly—not my mind—so it wasn’t a matter of self-control. I was just surprised, day after day, to realize coffee now made me jittery. But after a while I wanted it, anyway. But it still made me jittery. So now I make it and don’t drink it.
Sometimes I carry two full mugs—one of coffee and one of green tea—into my office before sitting down to work: the coffee for comfort, the green tea to
drink. Sometimes I make decaf instead, hoping then I won't waste. Even with decaf, I drink about a fifth.
3. I throw birthday parties for Keanu Reeves, even though I don't know how to invite himI’ve only thrown three, and the latter two were jointly instigated by my partner in crime
Julie. The first party I threw in high school, when Keanu turned 26 and I’d just discovered how happy his existence made me.
More than one friend—and Damon, too—has reported back to me this recurring conversation they’ve had with coworkers and friends. “So what are you doing this weekend?” someone will ask. –“Oh. I’m going to Keanu’s birthday party.” –“Oh my GOD!! How did you get invited!?!” –“No, you see, Keanu won’t
be there . . .”
I actually had the opportunity to
tell Keanu about this once, but I went mute, which friends tell
me is a good thing. I’ve also had the opportunity to possess his cell phone number
twice, so, in theory, one
could invite him. But I have refrained. (These are stories for another time.)
I have two stories about the role
Point Break (a Keanu movie) has played in my life, that I promised to blog two posts ago. The first is from when I sold
Cutco knives. (Selling Cutco is not weird! Lots of college kids do that!) So, you know, the Vector Marketing people would tell you, anytime you had a sales presentation, that you should watch your favorite scene from a movie or listen to a favorite song first, to get you pumped up. So
I would watch the big skydiving scene from
Point Break. Afterward, I’d be all, “YAHH!! LET’S GO SELL SOME KNIVES!!!”
My second
Point Break story actually makes my next item.
4. Before I saw Point Break for the first time, I had only cussed six times in my lifeAfterward, that very same day, the number shot up to thirteen. I was fifteen. We were in a mall. I stayed mute for the first forty minutes after we came out—overwhelmed by the universe that had just been revealed to me (and by the miracle of Keanu's existence). What came out when I finally opened my mouth was seven explosive
f-words in a row. Followed by another twelve minutes of silence before I could start interacting normally.
I am not one to get attached casually. But I’m very loyal. Keanu is my man to this day.
I know, to a lot of people, the point of interest here is that I kept count of how many times I cussed. Until early freshman year of college, I could tell you exactly when and for what reason each instance occurred (there'd been 17 by then)—and exactly which words were used. Most of the first six were experimental—just to hear what they sounded like in my voice. (Ditto, the only time I've ever used my middle finger, it was to see if my hand made the shape.)
After college began, life got a
lot more stressful. I lost track around 21 or 22 (which was during the third week). Then there was no more counting.
(I don’t really cuss today.)
5. I think I can’t seeI get my eyes tested regularly and supposedly can see just fine (with contacts). Damon, however, has better than 20/20 (
uncorrected), so he can read road signs from much farther away. His whole family is used to this, but it bothers me.
I recently realized, I think I can’t see to the point where I don’t even
try to see. Like with my camera. I trust my camera to see, so I point the camera and tell it where to focus. Then Damon looks and says, “Hey! This is blurry!” and we discover the diopter (which corrects people’s vision in the viewfinder if they want to not wear glasses) has gotten spun around. This happens often, but I never notice, because I don’t try to see. (The camera takes the same pictures, anyway; it’s only the viewfinder that changes.)
There is a bit in the book
Tangerine where the kid can see fine (through his thick glasses), but his mom thinks he can’t, so she keeps filling out disabilities forms for him when he transfers schools. It almost keeps him off the soccer team. That’s like me, except I’ve internalized the mom.
Last year I told Damon he can make fun of my vision from now on
only if he uses positive language. So he has to say, “Because you
can see,” instead of “Because you can’t.” It’s subtle, but it works.
I can see!!6. Even though I know nothing about sports, I am good at choosing winning teamsWoo
hoo!! I am awesome at this! I have two methods, and they make my sports-savvy friends
nuts. The first is if I know nothing about the teams except their names. I go unfocused and listen to the background chatter in my brain—that ceaseless sports commentating I usually try to tune out. Then I pick the team name that sounds
more like what a sports announcer would say. “So-and-so beat the So-and-so’s today in a something-something upset.” Or, “So-and-so
trounced the So-and-so’s in a
stunning yibba-yabba victory!”
This method is not great (I wouldn’t bet money on it), but it works a heckuva lot better than whatever the guys are doing when they pick their March Madness seeds (or whatever that chart is called that Damon puts in front of me). Heh. And they
do bet money.
(Mike once told me they've done experiments where trained monkeys also do better at choosing those winners. Nice.)
My second method is more accurate. I believe in the Power of Story. That is to say, I believe sports games operate according to the same laws of the universe that govern the rest of our lives, and that all these highs and lows, triumphs and defeats, setbacks and buildups are mysteriously calculated to add up to great stories. To keep you hooked. So if you tell me a little of the two teams’ backstories, or even how the game's been going so far, I will tell you the outcome based on what would make the best story.
I
have won bets with this. I took a bet with Damon’s stepfather once, second-to-last inning, that the Angels would . . . um, still win in spite of the fact they were currently losing by six runs. How Damon’s family jeered! That was one sweet dollar D’s stepdad gave me. (The backstory there was that the Angels were winning miraculous games-from-behind all season and were headed for the championships; it seemed too early for the pattern to stop.)
(Damon told me immediately, however, based on the backstory of his own family, that it would not be a good idea to gloat.)
This past Sunday, Damon asked me, “So who do you think will win the Super Bowl today?”
“Who’s playing?”
“The New York Giants and the New England Patriots.”
Hm. Both sounded like winning announcer-voice names. “The Patriots have won a lot lately, right?”
“Yes. How'd you know that?”
“One of my writer friends keeps sending me incomprehensible Patriots references—like, for the last
couple years. I think the Giants will win. I think everyone’s tired of hearing about the Patriots.”
Damon got some kind of cat-that-just-ate-the-mouse look on his face. “Does it change your answer to know that the Patriots are on the verge of making
history with this game? They’ve been undefeated all season, so if they win the Super Bowl, . . .” (I don’t remember the rest of his explanation. It went mushy in my ears.)
“No one’s ever done that before?”
“One team has. The Dolphins.”
“How long ago was that?”
“In [the 60s or 70s].” (Again, I don't remember what he said. But it didn't sound
that long ago.)
“Has anyone else been in the running since? Like had a perfect season and
gotten to the Super Bowl?”
“Nope. It’s
really hard to go undefeated all season.”
“Then the Giants will win. It’ll be more heartbreaking for the Patriots to lose, and it will make it that much bigger a deal when the next team wins. I predict the
next team to have an undefeated season will win the Super Bowl.”
“But that might not happen again in our lifetimes!”
What does
that have to do with the Power of Story??
“Let’s bet,” I said, now that I had gone to the trouble of picking a winner. “What are the odds, like that bookies are giving?”
“[Friend’s name redacted]
[Benji] says the Patriots are favored to win, four-to-one.”
“So whatever I win has to be four times as good as whatever you’d win?”
“Yes.”
(Note: I have since thought about this, and this is not right at all. If I bet $1,000, I would win $4,000. But if Damon bet $1,000, he would only win $250. So whatever I won should have been
16 times better than what Damon would win!)
(Wait. Is that right? We don’t have a bank or outside party to pay us. That seems too indirect.)
“What should we bet?” Damon asked.
This question kept resurfacing over the next couple hours. Even by halftime (none of which I watched), we still had not decided. “Favors,” Damon finally concluded, “to be named and claimed whenever.”
Wow. “And if I win, you have to do
four favors for me, and if you win, I only have to do one?”
“Yup.”
I liked that.
“Well, you were right!” Damon’s voice came booming up the hall later, which meant the game had ended. “The Giants won!”
“Did you doubt me?”
Damon chortled, even though I was being serious. “No,” he denied. “I didn’t know.” (Which means he doubted me.)
Now I get four favors!
What should they be??
(Okay!! I totally figured this out! If I had bet one favor and lost, then I’d have had to do one favor. But if I had bet one favor and
won [which I did], Damon—as the favor
bank—would have to pay out four. But if Damon had bet one favor and won, he’d only get one-fourth of a favor! So it wasn’t like we each put up a favor, because then he’d owe me five favors; or I’d owe one-and-a-fourth. It was like I placed my
one bet against
Damon, who was the favor-gambling bank.)
(Whew! Sports betting is hard work!)
I'm done with this post! Now, to tag six people!!
Brian (aka "Money")BusLeeJenniferStellaAnnieand, for bonus, even though she doesn't have a blog, I'd like to hear six weird things about "e!"
If you don't want to do this in your own blog because your content is too focused, you can just post the answers
here, in these comments! I don't mind. ;)
Love,
rita
One more post left. Go! Go! Go . . .
.jpg?picon=1621)
.jpeg?picon=2420)
Oh my God, Oh my God!
"Alive!!"
"Bunnies!! Bunnies! It must be bunnies!!!"
"[Hea-ven].../ I think I was in [Hea-ven]..." 
"GRR! ARRGH!!"
Marti Noxon!!!!
"But I shouldn't be telling you this . . . "
JOSS WHEDON!!!!
The dress is very attractive and we know you are proud that YOU MADE IT.
GM Doris & GD Bob
Looks tricky to me. You wear it so well!
This is sooo cute on you and you did such a nice job constructing it! Yes, the kids took great pix too! Love and hugs, Aunt Nancy
Very nice !
I love a nice shirtdress! You look fantastic,
This looks so great! I have this pattern too but have never made it… I think I’m intimidated by the collar and buttonholes. But yours looks so nice, I must give it a try.
I bought this pattern last summer, but did not sew it yet. Thanks for your post (which I saw on the Burda project page by the way). Your shirt dress It looks so pretty in pink chambray that I’ll give it a try. (And bravo to your kids: they are great photographers!)
Thanks, Helene! And I will tell the kids. They’ll be proud. It’s a good pattern—I do recommend it.
Thanks! I had it for a long time before I tried it. Definitely practice the buttonholes a lot, and use a marking pen, and you’ll be fine. As for the collar, it was not bad, really, but I recommend trimming the interfacing down 1/4 inch around the front edges of the collar (the points and edge where you normally might have a button). All the corners do get a bit much to manage with the several layers of fabric and interfacing.
Thank you! I love a shirtdress, too, and they’re so hard to find in various colors. That’s why I decided to try it.
Thank you, Kathi!
Thank you! It took time and patience but wasn’t as tricky as I thought after practice and taking my time.
Thank you! I’m pretty pleased. I will tell the kids. They have gotten several compliments and will be proud. xo
Thank you! Yep, I have to say I’m proud. No denying it.