SAMUEL COOPER

Cromwell is often credited with coining the phrase “warts and all.” This is not strictly correct. The phrase that could be extracted from his quotation is “warts and everything”. Over the years writers and editors have, as is not uncommon, “improved” the phraseology and it is the “improved” version with which most people are familiar, even though it is not 100 percent authentic. The meaning is however, and for this Cromwell is the first known originator.