The phrase “a shadow of doubt”… who thought this up?

Question

Was it some kind of freak who seen shadows whenever a certain subject was brought about?? Or do you think that these kinds of phrases are bollix and should be disposed of from English literature...

Answer 1

I think you thought it up.

I want to know who thought up the term "bollix".

Answer 2

There's probably no specific origin that can be traced to the coining of the phrase "shadow of doubt". It's just a play on words. It implies that a shadow is something of little importance.

If someone had a shadow of a doubt, it would mean that the person has less than a lot of a doubt.

There was a movie, though, called Shadow of a Doubt. Shadow of a Doubt is a 1943 Alfred Hitchcock film noir which tells the story of a young woman who thinks that her visiting uncle might be a serial killer. It features one of Hitchcock's greatest villains: "Uncle" Charlie Oakley, who is the namesake of the film's heroine, young Charlie Newton. Because the film's two most prominent character share the same name, the name "Charlie" is said on screen approximately 170 times.

Answer 3

I think the meaning of the phrase is not to be taken literally, but psychologically. Whoever thoght of expressing the feeling he/she gets when in doubt as "shadow of doubt" was very clever. I dont know about you, but when I experiece doubt, previously bright and hopeful thoughts suddenly lose their spark, and it is exactly as if a shadow was over them. I sure hope phrases like this are not disposed from in the English literature, They make the language less literal and add depth to it.

Answer 4

Alfred Hitchcock.

Answer 5

chuck norris did, all phrases come from him...