Method

Origin publishes provisional, sourced genealogies for phrases. The goal is not a trophy claim of absolute priority, but a clear map of what evidence supports which role — and what remains contested.

Evidence roles

• Earliest verified occurrence — the oldest instance we have checked against a citable primary source within the stated search scope. It is not a guarantee that nothing older exists outside that scope.
• Earliest reported occurrence — the oldest instance known from secondary reporting when the primary hardcopy was not independently inspected here. Public index and card surfaces label these dates as Reported so they are not confused with verified occurrences.
• Claimed coinage — a person or outlet asserts they coined the phrase. Claims are recorded separately from verified occurrences. Direct evidence that a claim was made is still a claim, not proof of historical coinage.
• Popularized by — a use or campaign that materially widened recognition, even when coinage lies elsewhere.
• Misattributed to — a common but unsupported attribution we document so it can be challenged with sources.
• Antecedent — earlier wording or adjacent ideas that illuminate lineage without equating to the tracked phrase.
• Contested or incomplete — disagreements or gaps that remain unresolved in the current revision.

Absolute-claim discipline

Public findings avoid absolute priority wording. Instead of declaring a definitive worldwide priority, we state what was verified, under what search scope, and with which sources. Absolute priority language is treated as a defect to revise, not a rhetorical flourish.

Provisional by design

Every genealogy carries a revision number, review date, status, and a hash of its source set. New evidence can supersede a prior revision. Corrections are welcome through the structured form; there is no public comment stream.