In a word ...

As spin comes under the Hutton spotlight, our correspondent discovers that the shorter the soundbite the better

Margaret Thatcher to her Cabinet: “Respect.”



Geoffrey Howe
to Margaret Thatcher: “Gotcha!”

Roald Amundsen on reaching the South Pole: “Cool.”



Saint Sebastian:
“Ouch!”



Nicholas Soames:
“Waiter!”

Beethoven: “Pardon?” (Also attributed to Vincent van Gogh and Richard Nixon.)

Anita Roddick: “Shop!”

Jeffrey Archer, in an unguarded moment of candour, on his collected literary output: “Sorry.” (It is also suggested that he once said this to his wife, to which she replied: “Really?”)

William Tell to his son: “Duck!”

Gordon Ramsay: “Enjoy.” (But more associated with another single word quote which rhymes with the above.)

Nero: “Fire!”

Elizabeth Taylor in response to “so long as you both shall live?” on various occasions: “Maybe.”

George W. Bush when told by Colin Powell that Tehran was not the

PROMOTED CONTENT