Boil the ocean

Posted by David Sper on April 19, 2002

Who replied, "Boil the ocean," when asked what to do about the problem with the German U-boats? Was it Will Rogers or Mark Twain? I have seen it attributed to both. For example:

Mark Twain-- [Dead link removed - ed]

Will Rogers-- [Dead link removed - ed]

I'm trying to find an original or reliable source for the story.

By the way, it's interesting to note that the phrase "boil the ocean" has been adopted by the computer and business world to mean "to try something way too heroic or ambitious, when a lesser accomplishment would suffice."

• Boil the ocean bob 04/19/02
  • Boil the ocean ESC 04/19/02