Braingle: 'Familiar Misquotes Series IV' Brain Teaser

Familiar Misquotes Series IV

Language brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.

Puzzle ID:	#34483
Fun:	(2.92)
Difficulty:	(2.21)
Category:	Language
Submitted By:	aresII
Corrected By:	aresII

Whenever a phrase or sentence becomes part of the common language, there is a strong possibility that it will be quoted inaccurately.

Over the course of time, a letter gets shifted or a word is changed and forevermore the quotation becomes a cliche that nobody ever gets quite right.

Try to complete each proverbial cliche:

1.) " I only regret that I have but one life to ______ for my country." - Nathan Hale

2.) "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no ______ ."

3.) "Music hath charms to soothe ______ ." - William Congreve

Answer

1.) lose

2.) fibs

3.) a savage breast
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Comments

Sunrose Dec 20, 2006	Enjoyed this one. This is a very good series!
cuteandditzy Dec 20, 2006	Its amazing to see how things change as time goes on.
GebbieRose Jan 02, 2007	Excellent! Much prefer this original version of Nathan Hale's famous quote.
i_luv_2_read Jan 22, 2007	i'm confused, are the answers the originals or the misquoted versions?
Rach_ Jan 22, 2007	Those are the true answers, they became more commonly known and used as 'music soothes the savage beast' for example.
khedron Jan 22, 2007	Cool, interesting teaser, although it seems to me that it would fit better in the trivia category than language.
anion Jan 22, 2007	I got them all wrong. I did, however, get all the misquotes correct. Very interesting!! I enjoyed it and learned something. Good teaser.
marschie Jan 22, 2007	I'm also confused! Are the given answers what was said by Nathan Hale, ..., and William Congreve?
katjojo Jan 22, 2007	I know all the misquotes. I just didn't realize they were misquotes. I like this one, I learned something that I did not know. Thanks!!
theadamsaiga Jan 22, 2007	Whoa! That was really good. Nice Job!! I was so used to hearing the wrong one I had no idea!!
bradon182001 Jan 22, 2007	Like everyone else I misquoted 2 of them, did get #3 tho. For some reason I learned that one correctly. Good lesson for the day for everyone.
coachpisco Jan 22, 2007	I never knew that. Thanks for the history lesson.
doehead Jan 22, 2007	Wake up and smell the roses.Oops thats as old as the teaser,
Pizzazz2u Jan 22, 2007	My only out was that I wasn't too certain until I checked for the correct quotes, before grading the teaser. A Totlly Outstanding teaser! Keep up the magnificent work and bring on more!
campfirecutie Jan 22, 2007	Very enjoyable teaser! I got 2 out of 3, guess I should have had my coffee first!!
ARBYSGIRL Jan 22, 2007	I thought I knew the answers to these, glad to find out the real answers thanks
FatHead Jan 22, 2007	I've actually heard these before, or I would've missed, not one, but all three.
BeaverFan Jan 22, 2007	Well, I got all three wrong, but I had the right misquotes I'm a little confused by the last one though, I've seen savage beasts, but I've never seen a savage breast
vanoosha Jan 22, 2007	Yeah, I had no idea about the misquotes. You learn something new everyday!
I_Write_Books Jan 22, 2007	There is no denying it! Misquotes are heard more frequently than the true quotes! Excellent teaser!
amb1912 Jan 22, 2007	i was confuesed too. i liked the idea of the teaser but i was still confuesed. i read the answer and i never knew i was saying them wrong u learn somethin new everyday!
breathesunshine Jan 22, 2007	I had to 'give' 'lies' to the 'savage beast' when I answered and therefore got them all wrong! It's always interesting to see how our language has changed with the times. Fun.
jabdr Jan 22, 2007	Got me - got me- got me. I ended up feeling 'duh'.
aresII Jan 22, 2007	Thank you all for your comments.
wandering_goat Jan 22, 2007	Very interesting! I knew all of those quotes, but as the teaser stated, with a wrong word or two in them. I had no idea they were wrong too!
iteachkids Jan 22, 2007	Your "misquote" is actually a correct quote. Nathan Hale did say "lose." There are several reliable websites that share this quote, one of which is Bartleby's Quotations - http://www.bartleby.com/59/11/ionlyregrett.html. "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country..." Words spoken by the patriot Nathan Hale, who was executed as a spy by the British in 1776.
lmurray Jan 22, 2007	CORRECTING MISTAKES IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING. I'M SURE AS CAN BE SEEN BY THE COMMENTS, YOU ENLIGHTENED MANY PEOPLE. THERE ARE NO ACTUAL FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF HALE'S SPEECH (AT THE GALOWS) HALE MAY INFACT BEEN PARAPHRASING JOSEPH ADDISON'S 1713 PLAY CATCO. I SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING FOR CONSIDERATION. How beautiful is death, when earn'd by virtue! Who would not be that youth? What pity is it That we can die but once to serve our country. ENJOY!
vlerma Jan 23, 2007	Nice follow up Imurray. And neat teaser. I guess I have been saying them wrong all these years too.
(user deleted) Jan 23, 2007	I believe you were trying to quote the correct answers. However, I don't think you meant to say that music tames a savage "BREAST". I wonder what a savage breast would even look like.
khedron Jan 23, 2007	"Savage breast" is correct. Breast as in heart, not boob. "breast /brɛst/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[brest] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun [...] 5. the bosom conceived of as the center of emotion: What anger lay in his breast when he made that speech?" -Dictionary.com
ejhops Jan 24, 2007	Oh thank you for posting this teaser! Misquotes bother me endlessly; it is soo nice to see someone that notices it as well. Great!
Qrystal Jan 25, 2007	AWESOME!!! It's amazing to actually love a teaser where I got none of them right! I guess it's because I love to learn!! Kudos to you for bringing these into the light!
scallio Jan 25, 2007	Oh my! I had them all wrong. How nice to have the correct quotes. And what lovely quotes you selected. Thanks!
emu77alu02 Feb 08, 2010	It's probably a good thing that the last one somehow became "beast" instead of "breast." It just doesn't seem to have the same connotations nowadays
TallTimber Feb 08, 2010	Nice teaser.
jaycr Feb 08, 2013	Not a bad teaser, got two of them right.
cutebug Feb 08, 2013	A friend in need is a friend indeed?
bestgirl Feb 08, 2013	Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no FIBS. I laughed out loud at this. It may be correct, but is sure loses something. Think I'll stick with lies.
spikethru4 Feb 10, 2013	Are they really misquotes if the actual meaning is unchanged? OK, the words may not be exactly the same, but there is no real difference between using "fibs" and "lies", or "give" and "lose". Breast/beast, on the other hand, is a good example where the meaning of the phrase is altered.