| 词汇 | qt |
| 词源 | Q.T. A British broadside ballad (1870) contained the line “Whatever I tell you is on the Q.T.” This is the first record of Q.T. for “on the quiet, in confidence” recorded in English, but no one has established whether the broad-side’s anonymous au- thor was the first person to use the initials Q.T. to stand for qui- et. On the Q.T. gained more popularity when it appeared in an 1891 minstrel show number called “Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay.” London “went stark mad over the refrain,” which was written by Henry J. Sayers and sung by Lottie Collins. The first stanza follows: A sweet Tuxedo girl you see, Queen of swell society, Fond of fun as fun can be When it’s on the strict Q.T. I’m not too young, I’m not too old, Not too timid, not too bold, Just the kind of sport I’m told— Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay . . . If you or your children grew up with “Howdy Doody,” you’ll notice the similarity between “Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay” and Howdy’s theme song. |
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