[PW] Anachronisms

[Bye, Dan J]

I'm not sure I've understood what you're asking, but there are plenty of examples in the Times in the nineteenth century of the police and others being said to "have no clue".  That's more literal though, isn't it?

Dan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org 
> [mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On 
> Behalf Of Fuller, Thomas (US - Washington D.C.)
> Sent: 14 January 2008 15:11
> To: list at project-wombat.org
> Subject: [PW] Anachronisms
> 
> Question 2:  Although "clueless" as a word dates at least to 
> 1743, using "no clue" to mean "I'm baffled" strikes my ear as 
> a distinctly 1990's trope.  I feel about it the same way I 
> felt when the Leonardo DiCaprio character in TITANIC, early 
> on, said "Hey, I'm involved" -- nobody would have said that, 
> in that context, in 1912.  Anybody disagree?
> 
> -- Tom