Word Watching ~

NAMBY-PAMBY ~ Generally, we think of a namby-pamby person as being weak, lacking drive but have you thought about the origin of this phrase? It is interesting ~ In the Dictionary of Quotations by Bergen Evans, find this quotation: "Let the verse the subject fit, Little subject, little wit. Namby-Pamby is your guide." ~ Henry Carey (1729) ~ Henry Carey who invented Namby-Pamby was a minor poet. Ambrose Phillips, Henry Carey and Alexander Pope all wrote pastorals. The public preferred the insipid verses of Philips whom Carey dubbed Namby-Pamby. The nickname struck the popular fancy and stays in our speech long after Carey and Philips have been forgotten. Dictionary of Quotations, Bergen Evans, Bonanza Books, Crown Publishers, Inc. U.S. (Editor's note: One long rambling paragraph above is the result of blogspot's sometimes-annoying little quirks.)