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What is the origin of the phrase "No answer came the stern reply"? Someone suggested to me that it relates to a nineteenth century painting representing an incident in the English Civil War where a young boy is being asked by an inquisitor, "When did you last see your father?" also the title of the painting, but I can find no corroboration of this. Any help?
Question
#68018. Asked by hectorb. (Jul 09 06 6:51 PM)
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Baloo55th
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I agree with Peasy - the painting is not based on any actual incident, and I've never heard the phrase used in this context. A boy of the age of the lad in the picture would hardly be able to give a 'stern reply' - even if that was silence! 'Stern' isn't a characteristic of kids, whatever period they lived in. This is probably a case of folk etymology in action - someone has had a bright idea after seeing the picture. (Irrelevantly, I live about 20 miles from that picture!)
Nigel Rees is a pretty good authority on things like that. So is Leslie Dunkling for origins of phrases. (WHen I was small, I always thought that picture in the Walker was a copy. I never believed that London would allow something like that to be kept in Liverpool.)
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hectorb
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Folk etymology is what I have always thought Baloo, when I first heard it linked to the Yeames painting some years ago, but when I heard someone else make the link I thought I'd post this to check. Peasy - I'd seen those links thanks, and Nigel Rees' view that the phrase has no discoverable origin just got me trying harder!
He
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billtkd
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It's from the poeam 'The Bunyip' by Frances King.
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