Dear Word Detective: How old is the phrase “no man’s land,” and
where did it first appear? I always associate it with the First
World War, and that hellish dead zone between the opposing
trench lines, but I am reading McMurtry’s “Telegraph Days” right
now, and the characters use it to describe the area surrounding
the town, which is presumably Texas badlands. The novel is set
in 1876, and I have great respect for the author’s superb
rendering of the dialect of the time, so it leads me to think
the phrase is, then, much older. How far back does it go? —
Chris. That’s a good question. I’ve never actually read any of
Larry McMurtry’s books (gasps of astonishment duly noted)
because I am allergic to Westerns (cue scattered booing and
flying vegetables). I’ve read enough about his books to know
that they occupy an artistic rung well above the Louis L’Amour
genre, but still. Maybe it’s the horses. Horses have always
annoyed me. I am, on the other hand, a big fan of his son,
singer-songwriter James McMurtry. About a