The Idiomatic Phrase You Thought You'd Thought Of But We Got There First
- apocryphal ancestry
The current popularity of amateur genealogy knows no bounds; everyone seems to be raking over their family history looking for those hidden skeletons in the cupboard, weird uncles or links with the great and the good - anything that will add a bit of vim and vigour to their otherwise dull and tedious lives. Unfortunately, this craze has also led to the rise of so-called apocryphal ancestry, particularly among the already famous.
In order to maintain their distance from the hoi poloi, certain celebrities are claiming spurious family ties with other members of the world's elite stars.
For instance, Demi Moore claims to be the daughter of footballer Booby Moore who, in turn, was said to be the brother of Roger Moore and second cousin to Ilkley Moor. Ilkley Moor was itself said to be the bastard progeny of Rannoch Moor and Othello, the Moor of Venice. Sir Patrick Moore claims to be related to Sir Thomas More, Lucia de Lammamoor and Old Moore's Almanac.
George Mitchell (who invented the BBC's Black and White Minstrel Show) was said to be the father of both Grant and Phil Mitchell from BBC's Eastenders as well as the great grandfather of Nicholas Witchell, the tiny BBC newsreader (who couldn't spell).
However, the most egregious claim must come from the unknown biographer of one of England' greatest composers. It was said that the result of the long-time secret affair between the Battle of Britain and The Festival of Britain was Benjamin Britten no less.
Added 18/03/2006 by: Miss Take
» Buy apocryphal ancestry in our online store.
In order to maintain their distance from the hoi poloi, certain celebrities are claiming spurious family ties with other members of the world's elite stars.
For instance, Demi Moore claims to be the daughter of footballer Booby Moore who, in turn, was said to be the brother of Roger Moore and second cousin to Ilkley Moor. Ilkley Moor was itself said to be the bastard progeny of Rannoch Moor and Othello, the Moor of Venice. Sir Patrick Moore claims to be related to Sir Thomas More, Lucia de Lammamoor and Old Moore's Almanac.
George Mitchell (who invented the BBC's Black and White Minstrel Show) was said to be the father of both Grant and Phil Mitchell from BBC's Eastenders as well as the great grandfather of Nicholas Witchell, the tiny BBC newsreader (who couldn't spell).
However, the most egregious claim must come from the unknown biographer of one of England' greatest composers. It was said that the result of the long-time secret affair between the Battle of Britain and The Festival of Britain was Benjamin Britten no less.
Added 18/03/2006 by: Miss Take
» Buy apocryphal ancestry in our online store.