acknowledge the corn
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]An American expression. Its origin is usually explained via the punch line to some humorous story, but the story and the literal meaning of the punch line vary greatly.
- In a debate on tariffs in the U.S. Congress in 1828, Rep. Stewart of Pennsylvania claims that Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio exported corn to Pennsylvania; on being challenged by Rep. Wickliffe of Kentucky, Stewart explains that the corn to which he alluded is exported in the interiors of hogs fed on that corn. Wickliffe replies contritely, "I acknowledge the corn."[1]
- A Louisiana gambler, while drunk, wagers and loses a large quantity of corn and potatoes; when the winner comes to collect, the gambler says, "I acknowledge the corn, but the potatoes you can't have!"[2][3]
- A New Englander boasts of their fine corn fields; a Western visitor says "That's nothing! I'll send you some of our seven-foot corn." He does so, and receives a grudging telegram in reply: "I acknowledge the corn."[4]
- A drinker is accused of having imbibed too much corn whisky.[3] He retorts, "I acknowledge the corn," implicitly refusing to acknowledge the "whisky" part of the accusation.
In actual usage, though, the phrase was usually associated with drunkenness, which suggests the last of these explanations ("corn" as synecdoche for "corn whisky") is probably closest to the true origin.[3]
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file) Audio (US): (file)
Verb
[edit]acknowledge the corn (third-person singular simple present acknowledges the corn, present participle acknowledging the corn, simple past and past participle acknowledged the corn)
- (idiomatic, dated) To admit to the truth of the point at issue or to a mistake; to cop a plea; or perhaps to admit to a small error but not a larger one.
- 1846, Jesse Speight, address to the U.S. Senate:
- I hope he will give up the argument, or to use a familiar phrase acknowledge the corn.
- 1859, J. Underwood, letter to the editor, Samuel W. Cole (editor), The New England Farmer, Volume 11,
- I should like to take a job of that kind on a wager with him, or any other New Hampshire man, and if I did not come out a little ahead on the "home stretch," why then I would "acknowledge the corn," and own myself beaten.
- 1880, Parliament of Canada, Official report of the debates of the House of Commons of the Dominion of Canada:
- Will the hon. gentleman acknowledge the corn? He does not do it. He is non-committal.
- 1892, The American magazine:
- They had simply to "acknowledge the corn," round up, and — "vamoose"; then, so soon as the soldiers had gone back to the fort, there was no law to prevent their returning.
- 1846, Jesse Speight, address to the U.S. Senate:
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ See for example "Origin of the Phrase 'Acknowledging the Corn'," in the Weekly Maysville Eagle 52(40) (1870-11-02), Maysville, Kentucky, page 1, where the story is credited to Stewart himself. Richard Thornton, An American Glossary (Philadelphia, 1912), vol. 1, page 3, claims to have located Stewart's hog–corn quibble in the Appendix to the Congressional Globe of May 27, 1846 (not 1828). However, the phrase itself dates back at least to 1840. In the Congressional Globe of 1846-01-28 (page 275) Rep. Speight of North Carolina refers to it as "a familiar phrase."
- ^ The Athenæum number 1657 (1859-07-30), London. Page 137.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rosemarie Ostler, "Getting Bowzered in Early America," Verbatim: The Language Quarterly 30(4) (Winter 2005). ISSN 0162-0932. Page 30.
- ^ "Origin of a Phrase." Eagle River Review (1897-01-28). Eagle River, Wisconsin. Page 4.