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From: Philip Lindsey <>
Subject: [O-W] First Source of Phrase?
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 13:08:53 -0600


Hello List,

While drifting off to sleep last night, a phrase that my father
often used in argumentation popped into mind, triggering within me the
realization that I had neither read, nor heard those words spoken, since
at least the time of his death in 1976. I quickly jotted the words down
and assumed that I would find some precedent in my tattered volume of
Bartlett's Quotations the next morning but, alas, it was not there.
I come from nine generations of central Missourians having southern
Atlantic Colonial roots who, I suppose having nothing better to do, seem
to have been fond of both political discourse and tale spinning as they
shucked their corn or spun their cotton. This social interaction led in
turn to a considerable coining of phrases, many of which are still
extant and a fair number still enjoying currency (accidental pun...
sorry about that).
Quite often these phrases are readily identifiable as local or
regional but, in reflecting on the phrase my Father used, I realized
that I had no idea what the genesis of it was. So perhaps some of you
might be able to tell me if, when and (particularly) where you may have
ever encountered the phrase "the unvarnished Truth".
In our geographic area its general usage was as a direct substitute
for, though similar in intent to, "the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth", which was in use to swear witnesses under oath.
In my own personal and internal vernacular, I would tend to think of the
phrase as equivalent to (while more nimble than) "the unGilded Lily".
Can some kind Souls help me with this phrase which happened to go
bump last night?

Cordially and expectantly,


Phil Lindsey
Independence, Missouri (the "Show Me" state)


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