William Joyce real name to his listeners; and he would occasionally be announced as "William Joyce, otherwise known as Lord Haw-Haw". Urban legends soon circulated about Lord Haw-Haw, alleging that the broadcaster was well-informed about political and military events to the point of near-omniscience. Although listening to his broadcasts was officially discouraged (but not illegal), many Britons heard the broadcasts. At the height of his influence, in 1940, Joyce had an estimated six million regular and 18 million occasional listeners in the United Kingdom. The broadcasts always began with the announcer's words, "Germany calling, Germany calling, Germany calling". These broadcasts urged the
Phrases from Hamlet in common English Phrases from Hamlet in common English William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" has contributed many phrases to common English, from the famous "To be, or not to be" to a few less known, but still in everyday English. Also, some occur elsewhere, such as the Bible, or are proverbial. A few, listed out ("Note: all are second quarto except as noted"): Act I, scene 1: Act I, scene 2: Act I, scene 3: Act I, scene 4: Act I, scene 5: Act II, scene 2: "Caviar to the general" Hamlet Act 2, scene 2, 431–440 Act III, scene 1: Act III, scene