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SUNNY Temp: 67 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, June 18, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend May 26, 2003 Since You Asked ‘Phony’ did have a ring; just not from a telephone We had to read "The Catcher in the Rye," in which Holden Caulfield keeps calling things and people "phony." I was wondering if anybody knew where the word came from. It doesn’t seem connected to "telephone" or any other "phone." — Jane M., Central Point According to the redoubtable E. Cobham Brewer, "phony" comes from "fawney," a word used by beggars and con men of Shakespeare’s day for a fake gold ring used to dupe suckers. Advertisement According to Brewer, who published the first edition of his remarkable Dictionary of Phrase and Fable in 1870, the word is an example of cant, or the jargon of a certain class. The speech of London beggars came to be called cant (from the Latin cantus for song) from its whining, sing-song quality. The term later came to denote professional slang, and still later conventional or knee-jerk thinking. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times