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"pray tell"

what is the origin of the word "pray tell"? does anyone know? I can't find history of this word anywhere on the web.

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Re: "pray tell"

The earliest usage I spotted in OED2: 1665 Marvell Corr. li. Wks. 18725 II. 287 But pray tell us once more in certainty whether it must consequently make 600 li a Yeare.

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Re: "pray tell"

I think the poster may be asking about the construction of the phrase rather than early attestation. If so, "pray" is being used in the obsolete sense of 'ask earnestly, humbly, or supplicatingly,'...

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Re: "pray tell"

Is Ozzie's quote off mark, LH? Unless tb646400 tells us otherwise, it appears to be an answer to his question, to me. I interpret his use of "word" to really mean "phrase". Otherwise, why add "tell"...

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Re: "pray tell"

I think LH's point is simply that someone who asks about the origin of a word (or phrase) usuallly wants more information than the first year of use. Ozzie's quote is fine as far as it goes, but...

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Re: "pray tell"

OK, I get it. I am still confused by the OP's use of "word" while posting a "phrase", and not being clear. He should have asked about the meaning of "pray" within the phrase, I suppose. Hopefully, he...

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Re: "pray tell"

As this is my first post, I apologize for the apparent confusion, although minor in it's own right. However, I appreciate all the responses, none the less.And for future posts, I am a female.To...

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Re: "pray tell"

Welcome. By the way, it should be noted that the 1665 is an incidental citation: that is, the OED2 does not list "pray tell" as a distinct phrase and has not made an effort to find the earliest usage:...

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Re: "pray tell"

I wonder if "pray" in this sense could be related to Italian "prego" (please) which I assume is from Latin "precare" ("to ask, beg, entreat, pray, supplicate, request...") (Lewis & Short)?

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Re: "pray tell"

Yes. As is "pray" in the more familiar religious sense--it's the same word.

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Re: "pray tell"

Googling on Shakespeare "pray tell" shows that the phrase appears three times in the Bard: twice in Henry VIII and once in The Tempest. Those easily predate 1665.

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Re: "pray tell"

For the earlier form, cf Chaucer, The Canons Yeomans Tale:"No fors," quod he, "now, sire, for Goddes sake,What shal I paye? Telleth me, I preye."

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Re: "pray tell"

I live in SE England and I quite often hear "pray" used in this sense in the truncated form without subject or object, in two quite different ways:1. Sarcastic. "Oh, you have an excuse? And what is...

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Re: "pray tell"

The following translation is for the benefit of northerners:"Oh, you have an excuse? And what is it, pray?" = "Yer wot???"

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