Episode 244: Talk is Cheap

 

This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Talk is Cheap. Spoiler: This phrase was not coined by P.T. Barnum, despite the Internet's insistence to the contrary. Bonus: Vulgar Tongues, Singers & their bands, and Bacon desserts

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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 244: Talk is Cheap
Record Date: August 18, 2024
Air Date: August 21, 2024

Intro

Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.

I’m Shauna Harrison

Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh

Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.

Opening Hook
Have you ever been listening to a politician running for election and during a speech they say that, if elected, they’ll do all these different things? Most of them may sound great, too. But when they get into office, the question that will always hound them is do they actually do it. Because as we all know… talk is cheap.

Meaning

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, talk is cheap means:

Quote
it is easy to say something - with the implication that this does not make it true, or ensure that it happens
End Quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/talk_n?tab=meaning_and_use#1408742920  

The internet is full of wrong information on the origins of this phrase, so we’ll jump into primary sources to highlight what we do know about it.

1783
This first attestation I could find was from the 1783 work, All Pleas'd at Last; a New Comedy in Five Acts written by Thomas Wilkinson and Thomas Heery. This is a conversation in Act III Scene IV between Colonel Formal and Sir Gilbert Oldprank.

Quote
Oldprank: Between you and me, Colonel, I am afraid it is rather late - Ah, there was a time! - twenty years ago I’d stand face to face - What a pity a man of spirit should grow old.
Formal: You are not too old to marry.
Oldprank: I am young enough to make a jointure, pay for a license, and I might put a tolerable face on the matter for a time; but - ah, it won’t do!
Formal: You have changed your sentiments very suddenly.
Oldprank: Talk is cheap; mere talk. I can talk on the subject as well as ever.
End Quote
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_all-pleasd-at-last-a-n_1783/page/50/mode/2up?q=talk++cheap

1786
Here’s another from the same general time frame in a 1786 work called Letters Addressed to Soame Jenynes, Esq. This one is from Letter VIII, which was dated August 1786 and signed by “Your most obedient servant, Simplex”.

Quote
But, according to the vulgar saying, ‘Talk is cheap - many words will not fill a ‘bushel’
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Letters_Addressed_to_Soame_Jenyns_Esq_Co/wTj4U2-Sz8oC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22talk+is+cheap%22&pg=PA287&printsec=frontcover

1850s
Most of the internet seems to think this phrase was coined by PT Barnum, but the notorious con-man and/or showman was obviously not the originator since we’ve found it in print more than 50 years before he was born. Still, during some legal and financial trouble (1856 to 1858) involving the Jerome Clock Company, of which Mr. Barnum was a key investor, he is reported to have said:

Quote
Talk is cheap until you hire a lawyer
End Quote
The Internet

I didn’t find any actual evidence that he actually said that, just lots of the internet claiming he did. But since it wouldn’t be the origin of the phrase anyway, I didn’t try too hard. So I’m not saying he did not say ‘talk is cheap until you hire a lawyer’, I’m just saying it is not the origin of the phrase ‘talk is cheap’. However, I did find the reasons why Mr. Barnum was so entrenched in the Jerome Clock Company, which it turns out was part of his scheme to create the perfect town. Well explore more about that particular endeavor in our behind the scenes, which airs every Friday on our patreon, www.patreon.com/bunnytrailspod

1880
Here’s an example from a song with lyrics written by Harry Angelo and music by E. Mack. It’s called “That Won’t Keep a Wife and Baby”. The sheet music I have lists a copyright of 1880 by WF Shaw. Here’s the first line:

Quote
Now tongue and cheek is everything, to keep the mill agoing
And as I too am in the ring, I’ll sing of things worth knowing
The world goes round, turns up side down, and on our heads we may be
Cause talk is cheap, but that won’t keep, A wife and little baby
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Songs_and_Ballads/3qwQAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22talk+is+cheap%22&pg=PA29&printsec=frontcover

1889
Here’s another version that I see mentioned on occasion. The first time I could find this variation was in The Bulletin out of Sydney, Australian dated January 5, 1889. It was a simple blurb, uncredited. But after going down a long and winding bunny trail I found this to be discussing the World Professional Sculling Championships.

Quote
O’Connor and Teemer both claim they can beat Searle, and Hosmer says Searle has got his reputation on the decay of Beach. Talk is cheap in the United States, but it takes money to buy whisky and more than blowing to win a championship.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Bulletin/6wDd2jXqqokC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22talk+is+cheap%22+it+takes+money+to+buy+whisky&pg=PA6&printsec=frontcover

Spoiler alert in case you were wanting to watch this 135 year old event… Henry Ernest Searle of Australia beat William O’Conner of Canada in the championship that was held on the Thames in London on September 9, 1889.
https://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/world-pro-sculling/1889#gsc.tab=0

Henry Searle rose to be the champion by beating fellow Australian Peter Kemp in the 1888 championship. Searle won again in 1889 as we just mentioned, but tragedy struck 3 months later when Henry Searle died of typhoid at the age of 23. The title reverted back to Kemp who went on to remain the sculling world champion until being beaten by another Australian John McLean (not the Die Hard guy) in 1890.
https://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/world-pro-sculling/01-racing-record#gsc.tab=0

I’m going to get out of this bunny trail now or we will be here all day.

1890
Here’s another example of this longer phrase around the same timeframe from the St. Paul Daily Globe out of Minnesota dated August 5, 1890. This is a snippet from an article about the discussions on building a manufacturing industry

Quote
There has been enough talk on this subject, and it is now time for action. They have a saying down in Missouri that ‘talk is cheap, but whisky cost money’.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059522/1890-08-05/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1756&index=0&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=cheap+cost+money+talk+whisky&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Talk+is+cheap%2C+but+whisky+costs+money&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

1906
Here is an advertisement for general goods out of the Ellensburg Dawn from Ellensburg, Washington, a place I visited a few months ago. Pretty town. This ad by the Big Store Company is dated September 4, 1906.

Quote
Talk is Cheap but Prices and Quality Count
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085012/1906-09-04/ed-1/seq-5/#date1=1756&index=2&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=CHEAP+TALK&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=%22talk+is+cheap%22&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

Mason’s Fruit Jars cost 60c per dozen for a pint, 70c a dozen for a quart, and 81 per dozen for a half gallon size. They also make sure you know that nails are still 3 cents a pound.

1939
One more before we head to the break. This one is an advertisement for the Women's National Magazine. It was published in the St. Croix Avis out of the US Virgin Islands and is dated March 1, 1939.

Quote
The one and only colored periodical of its kind in the United States and its possessions. Teachers, Nurses, Religious, Lawyers, Doctors, Housewives, all praise this MAGAZINE for its educational value.

Talk Is Cheap: But Facts Are Facts.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84037526/1939-03-01/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1756&sort=relevance&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=19&words=Cheap+Talk&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Talk+is+cheap&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=4

With that, it’s time to move to our uses in modern media, but first we need to say thank you to our sponsors.

A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses

1988
Talk is Cheap is a staple phrase in the music industry, with tons of songs and albums using the phrase. We’ll start with our modern uses in 1988 with the debut solo album by Rolling Stones’ legendary guitarist Keith Richards titled Talk is Cheap. It features 11 songs in a variety of rock styles including funk rock, roots rock, and traditional rock & roll. The album was remastered and re-released in 2019 with 6 additional bonus tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kAnNLaBcCb6r_xDRBB_7rbDxHPxZ48xZM

1995
Talk is Cheap is a 1995 rock song by the band Cinderella off their album Still Climbing. Here’s the chorus:

Quote
Sorry you missed the boat
Sorry, that's all she wrote

I don't wanna hear it
Mm, you talk is cheap
I don't wanna know
I don't wanna hear it
T-T-Talk is cheap
I don't wanna know
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZvrc623ALo

1998
We’ll break up the song fest with a book, Talk Is Cheap: Sarcasm, Alienation, and the Evolution of Language was written by Linguistics Professor John Haiman. It was released in 1998. Here’s the synopsis from the publisher.

Quote
Putting aside questions of truth and falsehood, the old "talk is cheap" maxim carries as much weight as ever. Indeed, perhaps more. For one need not be an expert in irony or sarcasm to realize that people don't necessarily mean what they say. Phrases such as "Yeah, right" and "I couldn't care less" are so much a part of the way we speak--and the way we live--that we are more likely to notice when they are absent (for example, Forrest Gump). From our everyday dialogues and conversations ("Thanks a lot!") to the screenplays of our popular films (Pulp Fiction and Fargo), what is said is frequently very different from what is meant.

Talk is Cheap begins with this telling observation and proceeds to argue that such "unplain speaking" is fundamentally embedded in the way we now talk. Author John Haiman traces this sea-change in our use of language to the emergence of a postmodern "divided self" who is hyper-conscious that what he or she is saying has been said before; "cheap talk" thus allows us to distance ourselves from a social role with which we are uncomfortable. Haiman goes on to examine the full range of these pervasive distancing mechanisms, from clichés and quotation marks to camp and parody. Also, and importantly, this text highlights several new ways in which the English language is evolving (and has evolved) in response to our postmodern world view. In other words, this study shows us how what we are saying is gradually separating itself from how we say it.

As provocative as it is timely, the book will be fascinating reading for students of linguistics, literature, communication, anthropology, philosophy, and popular culture.
End Quote
https://books.google.com/books/about/Talk_Is_Cheap_Sarcasm_Alienation_and_the.html?id=pWOysmsTNksC

2012
Here’s another song, this one Talk is Cheap by Alan Jackson off the 2012 Country album Thirty Miles West. Here’s the chorus:

Quote
Well, talk is cheap
And times are wasting
Get busy living
Or at least die trying
Wine is for tasting
Roads for taking
Talk is cheap
And times are wastin'
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SephuS6CFgg

2014
Talk is Cheap is a song by Chet Faker off the 2014 album Built on Glass. It’s an R&B neo-soul song.

Quote
Talk is cheap, my darling
When you're feeling right at home
I wanna make you move with confidence
I wanna be with you alone
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP_-P_BS6KY

2024
Talk is Cheap is a 2024 song by Dr. Dog. It has an indie pop vibe. Here is the opening stanza:

Quote
To the end of a lane and then back again
Feeling old and dumb and in the way
But I can change before the moon explodes and the sun stops shining
Talk is cheap
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-mb2YW8_0s

Wrap Up
I really like this phrase. As a person with a bias for action, I’ve often lived my life, and judged others, by the concept of ‘actions speak louder than words’. ‘Talk is cheap’ is a great way to capture that same concept in a shorter and more succinct way.

Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included,
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com

Shauna:
It’s poll time!

Recently, we asked our Patrons to tattle on themselves with this question:
Do you have a sweet tooth?

If you aren’t familiar with the term, Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines sweet tooth as:

Quote
a craving or fondness for sweet food
End Quote
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweet%20tooth

It appears our Patrons are firmly in the sweet tooth camp with 75% saying they definitely have a sweet tooth and the rest noting they do on occasion, but not that often.

Dan:
I don’t have a sweet tooth often, but I do tend to crave sweets if I have had something sweet. It’s kind of a downward spiral for me. If I mostly avoid sweets, I’m good. But if I feed the beast, then the beast wants ALL the sweets.

But that’s not all we asked of patrons. We also asked what their favorite snacks were. For me, my go-to is a banana with a spoonful of peanut butter and a glass of almond milk. I also like pistachios. And when my sweet tooth kicks in, oreo cookies and Reese's peanut butter cups, or blobs, are on the table.

Jan noted:

Quote
Funyuns, chocolate. Can bacon be a snack?
End Quote

Yes, Jan. Bacon can absolutely be a snack. And I’m linking to a delish.com article here in the show notes that talks about 20 bacon appetizers from bacon-wrapped dates to chicken bacon ranch poppers to bacon jam.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/menus/g45329868/bacon-appetizers/

Shauna:
Heather added

Quote
Oh I definitely have a sweet tooth, as evidenced by the Girl Scout cookie haul I invested in… (hey, its for a good cause...). My favorite sweets are mint chocolate chip ice cream and Reeses cups.
End Quote

JGP wins the best view on desserts:

Quote
I wholeheartedly agree with those who say that dessert is the best part of the meal!! But would like to add that it's the best part of the afternoon and evening as well!
End Quote

As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!

Outro

Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,

Together:
Words belong to their users.