"-gry" revisited

Factual Questions
1

OK, here goes:

Every once in a while some new hapless soul posts the ‘-gry’ question, resulting in the usual responses. Typically, either someone points out that “it’s a trick question, and the original wording has been corrupted, etc.” or posts a link that says that. Even The Master has bought off on it.

Now, as best we know, the first sighting of the “-gry” question was a radio talk show in 1975. The proposed “solution” (mentioned above) did not start showing up until some years after it circulated among radio stations (where I first heard it numerous times in the mid '80s).

In my opinion, the purported “solution” involving “original wording” is just a canard, and one that won’t echo at that. If this “original wording” did not start showing up until years after the question started making the radio (then later, the Net) rounds, I don’t think you can consider that the original wording. Besides, I’ve seen three different “original wordings.”

Now the GQ:

Can anyone produce any evidence that predates the 1975 radio program that supports the “original wording” corruption?

That, and only that, is the scope of this question.

Failing that, I think that has to be one UL created to explain another one.

My point is that although it might be true–there isn’t any evidence to support it. We’re looking for the “straight” dope, not the “possible” dope after all.

(And just citing a website that with no corroboration doesn’t count) :cool:

2

At one time, it was thought that the earliest known gry question was on the Bob Grant radio show on WMAC-AM in New York and happened in May of 1975. A couple years ago, Chris Cole wrote an article in Word Ways reporting that earlier examples of the question have been found.

The earliest example now known is a letter to Merriam-Webster dated 17 Mar 1975. The other early cite is from a column in Newsday in late April 75. Apparently it appeared on a TV quiz show in the New York area, although it may have been in a crossword puzzle as well.

We can’t say what the wording was as it appeared on the show, since the letter writer was reporting the question second hand. Ditto for the magazine column. However, neither of these early cites contain any of the clever tricks that have been incorporated into variations of this question since then. They just ask what is the third word ending in -gry.

3

Picky point, but the call letters of this station were – and still are – WMCA, at 570 kilohertz, originally named for the Hotel McAlpin. (In 1975 WMAC was a station in Metter, Georgia).

4

:sigh:

5

So what is the wording from the 1975 cites? Do those cites have similar wording?

6

The letter to Merriam-Webster goes (in part) like this:

The other was Anita Richterman’s Problem Line column (27 Apr 1975):