The British television sitcom 'To the Manor Born',
about having to sell a minor stately home (or 'manor'),
followed on somewhat from 'The Good Life' as a vehicle
for Penelope Keith. The title was a pun on 'to the
manner born'. Intrigued that the punning malformation
should have achieved such currency in North America.
Andrew Cook
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: "To the manner (manor) born...."
Author: "William S. Peterson" <wsp@wam.umd.edu> at Internet
Date: 11/06/1999 01:34
I'm just speaking off the top of my head (the way one often does on the
Internet), but I feel confident that "to the manor born" is the original
form. Incidentally, there was a British sitcom by that title that showed
up on American public television some years ago.
William S. Peterson
University of Maryland
wsp@wam.umd.edu
*****************************
On Thu, 10 Jun 1999, Mark Stirling wrote:
> Dear List,
>
> I wonder if anyone can shed light on my confusion about a well known
> phrase, "To the manner (manor) born." I have seen this in both
> forms, (Howells, W.D., LITERARY FRIENDS AND AQUAINTANCE. NY and Lond:
> Harpers, 1900, p. 200; Duberman, Martin, JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL. Boston:
> Houghton, Mifflin, 1966, p. 85.).
> Who first used this phrase, is one form a mistake? Let's take a
> poll!
>
> Cordially, Mark
>
> Mark Stirling
> Up-Country Letters
>