November 12, 2001

How tight was Dick's hatband?

Through A Glass Darkly, by John Myers, Internet Photojournalist

How tight was Dick's hatband? And when did you have a snort?

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I must admit up front that Senior Editor Phil Hudgins' column the other day is what got me to thinking about some of my Daddy's favorite sayings.

"Tighter'n Dick's hatband," was one of his favorite sayings about virtually anything that was tighter than it had a normal right to be.

Now that it's some 13 years too late, I wish I could ask Daddy to clarify the saying. "Who was Dick? Dick Tracy? And why was his hatband so tight? And just how tight was Dick's hatband, anyway?"

Daddy's been gone since 1987, but if he could answer from the great beyond, I imagine he would say, "It's just a saying. I don't know who Dick was."

But maybe someone else of his generation could answer my questions. I suspect it wasn't Dick Nixon, because the saying predates his presidency. However, he was President Eisenhower's vice president, and Ike was president when I was a boy.

Hardly anybody of the current generation wears a hat with a hatband, but those of you who remember when virtually every adult male wore such hats might be able to help. Call, write or e-mail me.

That's probably the one saying of Daddy's that has always puzzled me most, but he had many more colorful expressions, which I find myself repeating all the time. Of course, he had some expressions that were a bit too colorful to bear repeating in public.

One expression had to do with one of Richmond County's leading citizens, the late attorney Elsie Webb. This expression was "taking a snort," which is a way of saying you're having a drink of liquor.

If someone used that saying today, they would be accused of using cocaine, but a generation ago it had an entirely different use.

My grandfather, the late Lester Myers, was a friend of Mr. Webb's and they often fox hunted together, a sport that has faded away.

My Daddy told this story - as my grandfather died before I was born, I never had the opportunity to hear the story firsthand.

My grandfather was in court as a character witness for a man who Mr. Webb was prosecuting. After Mr. Myers' testimony for the man, Mr. Webb rose for his cross-examination and asked my grandfather one question. "Mr. Myers, are you a drinking man?"

"I take a snort now and then," my grandfather replied.

"And would you tell the court what was the last occasion on which you took a snort, Mr. Myers?" Mr. Webb responded.

"I'd rather not say, Mr. Webb," said my grandfather.

"Are you ashamed to tell the court?" Mr. Webb asked.

"No, I'd just rather not say," he replied. But Mr. Webb persisted until my grandfather finally agreed to give the particulars.

"If you insist," he told Mr. Webb, "it was last night when we were out fox hunting and you handed me your bottle of whiskey."

"Come down, Mr. Myers. No more questions," Mr. Webb said.