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Not worth the paper it's printed on

Posted by ESC on March 31, 2009 at 16:49

In Reply to: Not worth the paper it's printed on posted by James Stamant on March 31, 2009 at 08:26:

: I'm wondering where the phrase "It's not worth the paper it's written/printed on" comes from. When did the phrase come into use?

It's not worth the paper it's written on. Worthless. "In 1861, Johann Bernhard, Graf von Rechberg (1806-99), in a dispatch concerning the recognition of Italy, wrote: 'Guarantees which are not worth the paper they are written on.' 'Printed' is often substituted for written...'" Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996). Page 189.

Now. Who said "Oral contracts aren't worth the paper they are written on." Or something like that.

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