4 ms·
I never considered that there might be a specific origin of the expression, “if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.”
by webwielder2 5y ago
I never considered that there might be a specific origin of the expression, “if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.”
- ncmncm 5y agoThat is about the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC, often "sold" to tourists hoping to charge toll. In Hawaii, they say instead "I've got some land on the Big Island", often actually owned, and commonly a bare lava field. People do build on them, and truck in soil for plantings. The result can be beautiful, often suggesting an oasis.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- neilv 5y agoThanks for drawing my attention to this bit I missed on the first glance: > In those years before the First World War, Americans were clamoring for better roads, and a cadre of slick characters was diligently trying to turn that desire into profits by barnstorming the country pitching “patented” bridge projects to county commissions and city councils. Frequently they’d sell a design that they had a dubious patent on to politicians with no clue about engineering, then install it whether it worked on the site or not. Some of these bridges failed in a matter of months as floodwaters washed out their footings; for others, the adaptations necessary to make them work cost more than the bridge itself. One Iowa bridge that crossed a county line turned out to have been fully paid for twice — each county had gotten, and paid, the full bill.