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#114228 - 10/22/03 07:00 PM he who laughs first
guest stranger Registered: 04/04/03 Posts: 19	i'm curious about the "he who laughs first" adage... (1) any ideas of its origin? (2) what is the actual quote... i've seen it as (a) he who laughs first laughs last (b) he who laughs first laughs best (c) he who laughs first cries at the last ?? (3) what is its point? as an aside, and please don't let this divert the scholars from addressing my original question, but i'm curious as to the distinctions between [among?] maxims, adages, proverbs and aphorisms... TIA =)
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#114229 - 10/22/03 08:47 PM Re: he who laughs first
hev addict Registered: 01/28/02 Posts: 477 Loc: Sydney, Australia	Hello guest, I've only heard it as "He who laughs last, laughs loudest". I don't know what the guy who laughs first does. (Although I have also heard "He who laughs first didn't really understand the situation.")
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#114230 - 10/22/03 09:47 PM Re: he who laughs first
Bingley Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/09/00 Posts: 3065 Loc: Jakarta	I've always heard/read it as "He who laughs last, laughs longest." Bingley _________________________ Bingley
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#114231 - 10/22/03 09:50 PM Re: he who laughs first
belMarduk Carpal Tunnel Registered: 09/28/00 Posts: 2888	Yup, are you sure about that laughs first part? I've only ever heard the laughs last version.
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#114232 - 10/22/03 10:08 PM Re: he who laughs first
of troy Carpal Tunnel Registered: 10/17/00 Posts: 5400 Loc: rego park	he who laughs last, is the slowest person to get the joke... or more conventionally, he who laughs last, laughs best.. (i think its to do with pranks and practical jokes.. the person who get the last joke in gets the best laugh. but the just MHO!) _________________________ my other obsession
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#114233 - 10/22/03 10:23 PM Re: he who laughs first
Bingley Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/09/00 Posts: 3065 Loc: Jakarta	I've always understood it as meaning, wait till the final result before you start crowing because the underdog can always make a comeback Bingley _________________________ Bingley
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#114234 - 10/23/03 12:44 AM Re: he who laughs first
Father Steve Carpal Tunnel Registered: 09/06/00 Posts: 2788 Loc: Seattle, Washington, USA	"He who laughs last, laughs best." ~The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
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#114235 - 10/23/03 02:13 AM Re: he who laughs first
sjmaxq Carpal Tunnel Registered: 07/20/03 Posts: 3230 Loc: Te Ika a Maui	Up here, it's normally, "he who laughs last, laughs longest." _________________________ noho ora mai http://maxqnzs.com/References.html
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#114236 - 10/23/03 10:28 AM Re: he who laughs first
dodyskin addict Registered: 04/24/02 Posts: 475 Loc: manchester uk	I always thought it was, 'he who laughs last, laughs loudest' but my SO insists it is definitely, 'he who laughs last, laughs loudest'. As to it's meaning, I'm with Bingley. incidentally here's http://www.calvin.edu/~lhaarsma/maxims.html a muted chuckle. those googlesults in full he who laughs last, laughs loudest 231 he who laughs last, laughs longest 303 he who laughs first, laughs loudest 0 he who laughs first, laughs longest 0 he who laughs first laughs last 78 he who laughs first laughs best 1 he who laughs first cries at the last 0 from Cambridge Int. maxim noun [C] a brief statement of a general truth, principle or rule for behaviour adage noun [C] a wise saying; proverb: (from Latin i fink, means saying) proverb noun a short pithy saying in frequent and widespread use expressing a basic truth or practical concept. aphorism noun [C] a short clever saying which is intended to express a general truth. so, not much difference really. a maxim is more like a rule. proverb and adage really are the same thing. an aphorism seems to me to be more likely to be a direct quote, and doesn't have to be in widespread use.
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#114237 - 10/23/03 11:03 AM Re: googlesults
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13659	Ya left out "he who laughs last, laughs best" 1230
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