Anglo-Saxon attitudes

[Paul Mackin]

The Anglo-Saxon business is probably mostly a state of mind. (regardless of the OED :-))

To wit and I quote:

  All this was lost on Alice, who was still looking intently along the road, shading her eyes with one
hand.  `I see somebody now!' she exclaimed at last.
`But he's coming very slowly -- and what curious attitudes he goes into!'  (For the messenger kept skipping up and down, and wriggling like an eel, as
he came along, with his great hands spread out like
fans on each side.)

  `Not at all,' said the King.  `He's an Anglo-Saxon Messenger -- and those are Anglo-Saxon attitudes.
He only does them when he's happy.

--_Through the Looking Glass_, Chapter VII

But here's a personal anecdote to further make the point:
A colleague of many years past and now deceased, may he rest
in peace, told me of his discouragement in New York City when
looking for a job on graduation from C.C.N.Y. Many of the help
wanted ads said 'Anglo-Saxons only' but he applied for one of
them anyway noting on the form that his degree was in English,
he had read Beowolf and spoke fluent Anglo-Saxon.

Thank heaven for a rainy day. I can get back to M&D.

				P.