Red Herrings
& White Elephants by Albert Jack
October 6th 2004
Stolen your Thunder
| When
someone Steals Your Thunder they are taking credit for something that
another person should properly be credited for. Regularly used by
1900, especially by jealous politicians claiming their brilliant and
original ideas had been stolen by another. Originally the expression was used by the playwright & critic John Dennis in the early 1700's who discovered the sound of thunder could be reproduced to great effect backstage at the Drury Lane Theatre in London, by bending large tin sheets. At a time when sound effects were virtually unheard of his idea considerably added to the drama of an evening out and did not go unnoticed. His play, on the other hand, did go unnoticed and was replaced by Macbeth in a matter of weeks. Shortly afterwards the embittered Dennis saw a performance of Macbeth and was furious to hear his thunder being reproduced without his permission. Writing a review the following day Dennis raged 'See what rascals they are. They will not run my play and yet they steal my thunder'. Isn't it comforting to see that a complete lack of moral standard is also an old English tradition. |
