I am wondering whether anyone can assist with a long-standing
etymological puzzle.
In the Presidential election of 1884, the Democrats teased the
Republican candidate, James G. Blaine ("The Plumed Knight"), about the
contemporary version of Watergate involving payoffs, railroad bonds and letters he asked to
be burned. The Democrats jeered "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine/ The Continental
liar from the State of Maine". I have consulted every Blaine
biography written (an amazing 10+), as well as the usual guides and
anthologies.
Not a single one offers any explanation.
My view has always looked to the xenophobia of the period, associating
anything from Europe ("the Continent") as inherently suspect and not
worthy of belief. One of my amateur historian friends looks to our
Revolutionary days, when the debased currency made worthless items
synonymous with a Continental dollar. A professor of American history
at a local college suggested that Blaine's opponents called his lies as
big as the North American continent.
Any clues?
Here's something from American Heritage I found on OneLook Dictionary.com:
ADJECTIVE: 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a continent. 2. often Continental Of or relating to the mainland of Europe; European. 3. Continental Of or relating to the American colonies during and immediately after the American Revolution. 4. Used as an intensive: “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine,/The continental liar from the state of Maine.” (Grover Cleveland).
Intense, huh?
Book regards,
Wordwatcher
So how does all this translate in to a buffet table loaded with muffins, croissants (in yer ritzier places), toasts, buns as assorted bread products, being called a "continental" breakfast? I've always wondered.
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Oh, and welcome on Board RMWSQFT Stay for a while, I'm sure you'll have fun.
Nope. No new ideas, other than to say that what Wordwind has turned up sounds right... but what would I know about Blaine from the state of Maine. I'm an Aussie, and I'm just here to say:
WELCOME 
RMWSQFT! Great question! Thanks for asking.
Continental has also been used to denote "smooth". Seems like it could be used this way in this context. Just my $1.98's worth.
Not only did Blaine come from Maine, way up in the far corner of the nation, but his home town was Mars Hill, a tiny place in the far northeren reaches of the state. I have always felt that the Continental liar jingle was meant to suggest that this hick from the sticks had so overreached himself that he thereby sullied his party's reputation throughout the land, i.e. over the entire continent.
Let me add my welcome, RMWSQFT.
I am reasonably sure "continental" was an all-purpose pejorative based on the proverbial worthlessness of it as currency.
I think "continental breakfast" refers to custom abroad of having charge for meals included in price of staying at European hotel, in contrast the "American plan" under which meals and rooms were billed separately. So a "continental" breakfast was not likely to be very filling.
"Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine/ The Continental
liar from the State of Maine" - Grover Cleveland
Dear RMWSQFT, The Atomica dictionary agrees with the professor that the use of
Continental as an intensive is valid. Atomica even cites your example as their example.
By-the-way, am I you? My initials are
R.M.W and I often respond to
singles ads in magazines as
S.Q.F.T.-RMW
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POSTSCRIPT: -
- I can't win. By the time I fool around and get ready to help RMW with his question, WW, four yankees and two furiners have stolen my thunder. GEE!WIZ!!!!!
Milum, they always say that the main personality doesn't know of the existence of the other personalities. Ooops, unless you are one of the other personalities.
A hearty welcome, RMWSQFT!
An intriguing debut post! You should be right at home, here, with our band of Merry Wordsters! Make yourself comfortable...pull up a seat!
of course,
not worth a continental became a favorite American (US) idiom for being worthless. This from the April 2002
Explore magazine\, MY Word! section:
Not Worth...
by Dr. Gerald D. Sullivan
When one reaches into a linguistic bag of idioms to find an appropriate way of describing utter worthlessness, he will find a heaping handful of colorful expressions available.
During the War of Independence, American revolutionists were faced with numerous serious problems besides defeating the English in combat. The First Continental Congress had no monetary system in place or even authority to levy taxes. Out of desperation, Congress ordered paper bills of credit to be printed. The people called these notes Continentals. The value of this paper currency deflated until even a large bill had little worth. Thus the expression "not worth a continental" came about. Perhaps the expression not worth the paper it’s written on came into play about the same time.
The idiom not worth a rap has nothing to do with knocking on wood. Near the beginning of the eighteenth century there was a shortage of copper in Ireland. A not-too-bright band of counterfeiters flooded the country with bogus half-pence coins made of cheaper metals. The common people called these raps. Since the original coin had so little value, the counterfeit rap was absolutely worthless. Being not worth a plugged nickel has a similar origin, since a plugged nickel was also a counterfeit coin.
In ancient Rome, when soldiers were sent to foreign lands, they were given their pay plus an allowance to buy salt. Salt was considered an essential element in their diet and was often quite expensive. This stipend was called a salarium, literally meaning salt money. Of course the English word salary came from this source. To not be worth one’s salt means that a person has failed to earn his pay.
At one time it was common for minimally skilled repairmen called tinkers to travel from town to town making their living mending household utensils. When repairing a hole in a metal pan, the tinker would often build a small clay barrier around the hole to keep the solder in place. Afterwards he would throw the clay dam away. Some etymologists doubt whether not worth a tinkers dam came from this procedure and instead attribute it to the tinkers habit of swearing.
And oh yes, those crude menders of pots and pans did give their name to the expression tinkering around.
MY WORD!
The Only WO'N!
>I think "continental breakfast" refers to custom abroad of having charge for meals included in price of staying at European hotel, in contrast the "American plan" under which meals and rooms were billed separately. So a "continental" breakfast was not likely to be very filling.
In English hotels in the mid seventies there were two types of breakfast - "English" (breakfast cereal, fruit juice, Full Monty (not don't start again) or choice of - bacon, eggs, sausage, fried bread, grilled tomato, toast, marmalade, jam, tea, coffee) or "Continental" (Bread rolls, croissants or whatever). Continental was essentially a posh word for "French", as it didn't include elements of a German breakfast (cheese, cold meat), it was just a way of offering a lighter breakfast to those who preferred it. English hotels tended to include breakfast in the price. These days, many hotels in the UK have replaced this with the ubiquitous breakfast buffet. Things like pancakes, waffles tend to be only served in larger hotels with an American clientele.
In my experience, French hotels always charge separately for breakfast and it ranges from simple bread rolls to more complicated pastries. It can be a very small meal. I remember the look of horror from an elderly US tourist group in Paris who told me, in unision, it seemed, "they gave us bread for breakfast". I don't think that the saying "when in Rome ..." had been mentioned in their "see Europe in a week" itinerary.
Welcome aBoard, RMW. You and milum both have square feet? My sympathies. What is the name for this medical condition, please?
Whoa--I didn't know "not worth a Continental" had spread clear to NZ! That's very interesting to me, because of a theory I've developed, based on reading that the Maaori (did I get that right, Max?) easily adapted parts of the European settlers' culture into their own. Having also been given the tidbit that current NZ'ers eagerly adopt the newest technology, I am now wondering if perhaps the Maaori malleability has had its turnabout influence on the pakeha (non-Maaori of European extraction).
Enough digression. I have also heard the expression "not worth a Continental damn". (Guessing on the spelling--was there ever a Continental dam?) WO'N, a long time ago we had a discussion on whether it was tinker's dam or damn. But I don't recall learning about the clay dam they made--thank you. Though--since it served a valuable purpose, I don't see how it could have come to mean valueless--unless it was the impermanence? [tangled thoughts emoticon]
A large fundraising fete or fair: I am responsible for the craft fair at the High school Continental.From a wordsite forwarded by
paulp in
Miscellany entitled
Wordmap. -
http://www.abc.net.au/wordmap/Wow! A high school craft show for the whole continent!
Boy, those aussies sure know how to intensify. -
(Talk about intensifying - as a added bonus, look at
"Budgie-smugglers" in their Top Ten.) -
Maaori were supposed to be assimilated out of existence
Oh, that gave me the shivers! Why, oh why, can't we ever be satisfied with what we've got, without wanting to take what the next guy (culture) has?
Thank you all for your observations, answers and ripostes. This was my maiden AWAD offering, so I am overwhelmed by the responses.
I still am searching for some contemporary evidence to guide me in my quest.