Washington and the cherry tree
Washington and the cherry tree definition
The subject of a fanciful story by an early biographer of George Washington, Mason Weems; the source of the saying “I cannot tell a lie.” According to Weems, the young Washington received a new hatchet and used it to chop down his father’s prized cherry tree. His father demanded to know how the tree had fallen. George was tempted to deny his misdeed, but then, “looking at his father with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all-conquering truth, he bravely cried out, ‘I cannot tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet.’”
Read Also:
- Washington-clam
noun 1. butter clam. noun 1. a large edible clam, Saxidomus nuttalli, of the west coast of North America.
- Washington-court-house
noun 1. a city in SW Ohio.
- War-powers
plural noun 1. the powers exercised by the president or by Congress during a war or a crisis affecting national security.
- Warplane
noun 1. an airplane designed for, or used in, warfare. noun 1. any aircraft designed for and used in warfare Also called (US) battle plane
- Warp-knitting
noun 1. a knitting process in which the yarn is knitted vertically in a flat form.