What's with the ??
Posted by R. Berg on February 17, 2003
In Reply to: What's with the ?? posted by ESC on February 17, 2003
: : : In response to a post on the archived board:
: : : TO COTTON TO (THING OR PERSON) -- "...it was used by Dickens (Old Curiosity Shop) more than a hundred years ago with just the present meaning, to get along with or to like a thing or person. The origin is lost, but probably referred in some manner to the readiness with which cotton adheres to a napped surface. From 2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings & Expressions from White Elephants to Song and Dance by Charles Earle Funk (Galahad Book, New York, 1993).
: : The saying is recorded in a play as early as 1605. Clearly the saying is a lot older.
: My original post has random ?? question marks. Very strange.
Maybe the forum has developed a mind of its own, after the manner of an AI, and is now inserting question marks when it doubts the truth of a post. There's material for a screenplay here.