the Newdigate gets an Oscar

[suprunp]

A pleasingly Eurocentric explanation links the name to Oscar Wilde who, years before on a US lecture tour, was asked if he had won the Newdigate Prize for Poetry. "Yes, but while many people have won the Newdigate, it is seldom that the Newdigate gets an Oscar," he retorted.
(Who was Oscar anyway?;The Guardian)

Does it mean here 'it is seldom that a person who won the Newdigate gets an Oscar'?

Thanks.

 

[Tullia]

A pleasingly Eurocentric explanation links the name to Oscar Wilde who, years before on a US lecture tour, was asked if he had won the Newdigate Prize for Poetry. "Yes, but while many people have won the Newdigate, it is seldom that the Newdigate gets an Oscar," he retorted.
(Who was Oscar anyway?;The Guardian)

Does it mean here 'it is seldom that a person who won the Newdigate gets an Oscar'?

Thanks.

No, I think he's referring to the prize itself.

He's inverting the normal logical order we would expect of "Person X wins Prize Y" and saying instead we should think of it as "Prize Y wins Person X" - i.e. he's hinting (rather egotistically) that he himself (since his name is Oscar) is rarer and more of a prize than the Newsigate Prize itself!

 

[susiedq]

Here's another thought:

The Oscar is the name of an award presented by Hollywood for outstanding performances in a variety of movie-making roles, ranging from best writing to set design to best costme, etc. It is very prestigious to win this award.

"it is seldom that the Newdigate gets an Oscar," he retorted.

The Newdigate is a pretty obscure award. I think he is saying that the notoriety of winning the Newdigate is not up to the level of winning the Oscar.

 

[Tullia]

While the Oscar is certainly more famous than the Newdigate, I can't think that that is the correct explanation. The fact of Wilde's first name, and the wit displayed if we follow my interpretation, make me pretty sure I'm right.

 

[bhaisahab]

Here's another thought:

The Oscar is the name of an award presented by Hollywood for outstanding performances in a variety of movie-making roles, ranging from best writing to set design to best costme, etc. It is very prestigious to win this award.

"it is seldom that the Newdigate gets an Oscar," he retorted.

The Newdigate is a pretty obscure award. I think he is saying that the notoriety of winning the Newdigate is not up to the level of winning the Oscar.

The Hollywood "Oscar" did not exist in Oscar Wilde's lifetime.

 

[Tullia]

The Hollywood "Oscar" did not exist in Oscar Wilde's lifetime.

In that case I'm even more sure I'm correct!

 

[bhaisahab]

In that case I'm even more sure I'm correct!

You are right.

 

[susiedq]

Sorry! I failed to do my research!.

Yes, you are correct.

I don't think Wilde thought much of the Newdigate so he didn't give it his personal "blessing" .

Quote from Wilde: “I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”

 

[SoothingDave]

The Hollywood "Oscar" did not exist in Oscar Wilde's lifetime.

Very clever of him to issue an utterance that becomes more witty decades after his death.

 

[Raymott]

Very clever of him to issue an utterance that becomes more witty decades after his death.

Yes. Of course it's quite possible that Oscar Wilde never said any such thing and that the utterance was invented later as an explanation for the Oscars.

 

[SoothingDave]

I thought it was Yogi Berra who said "I didn't really say everything I said."

 

[Raymott]

I thought it was Yogi Berra who said "I didn't really say everything I said."

No, no. Every witty sentence in history was said by Oscar Wilde, just as every serious sentence was said by Winston Churchill.

 

[BobSmith]

I thought it was Yogi Berra who said "I didn't really say everything I said."

This is quite funny because Yogi Berra is one of the most misquoted sources of quotes. I'm 73% sure of this.