Ann puns on the more familiar idiom, "a horse of a different color," meaning something completely unlike something else. In medieval tournaments knights rode horses of different colors so spectators could tell them apart. Unsuccessful bettors would be told of their loss with news that a “horse of a different color” was victorious. In 1602 William Shakespeare's "Twelve Night, or What You Will" was performed for the 1st time. Maria and Sir Andrew Aguecheek plotted against Olivia's servant Malvolio and sought to humiliate him by convincing him that Olivia was secretly in love with him. Shakespeare reversed the traditional expression by having Maria say, "My purpose is, indeed, a horse of that colour,” meaning “the very thing,” to which Sir Andrew responded, "And your horse now would make him an ass." Shakespeare's new coinage remained the linguistic legal tender for nearly 2 centuries, but by 1798 the current idiom was in place; in that year Benjamin Franklin's grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache in his newspaper the "Philadelphia Aurora" attacked president John Adams (whom he sarcastically referred to as England's notorious "King John," writing, "Whether any of them may be induced to enter into the pay of King John I is 'a horse of another color.'" (Under that year's Alien and Sedition Acts he was arrested but before he could be tried he died of yellow fever at 29.)
Ann puns on the more familiar idiom, "a horse of a different color," meaning something completely unlike something else. In medieval tournaments knights rode horses of different colors so spectators could tell them apart. Unsuccessful bettors would be told of their loss with news that a “horse of a different color” was victorious. In 1602 William Shakespeare's "Twelve Night, or What You Will" was performed for the 1st time. Maria and Sir Andrew Aguecheek plotted against Olivia's servant Malvolio and sought to humiliate him by convincing him that Olivia was secretly in love with him. Shakespeare reversed the traditional expression by having Maria say, "My purpose is, indeed, a horse of that colour,” meaning “the very thing,” to which Sir Andrew responded, "And your horse now would make him an ass." Shakespeare's new coinage remained the linguistic legal tender for nearly 2 centuries, but by 1798 the current idiom was in place; in that year Benjamin Franklin's grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache in his newspaper the "Philadelphia Aurora" attacked president John Adams (whom he sarcastically referred to
ReplyDeleteas England's notorious "King John," writing, "Whether any of them may be induced to enter into the pay of King John I is 'a horse of another color.'" (Under that year's Alien and Sedition Acts he was arrested but before he could be tried he died of yellow fever at 29.)