An Appointment to Test Your Mettle


test your mettle cartoon

Sometimes you have the beginning of a cartoon, but the end takes a while to reveal itself.

I knew I wanted something with ‘Your 2:30 is here…” and I wanted the secretary to have that ‘you’re in trouble’ look on her face, but it took forever to find the last couple of words.

Some rejected endings include:

  • …grovel for forgiveness.
  • …try his best and ultimately fail.
  • …waste everyone’s time.
  • …sink or swim.
  • …for the big reveal!
  • …the poor guy.
  • …that thing you’re going to spring on him.

I don’t know how ‘test your mettle’ won out exactly – but it just seemed like the best fit.

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Mark Anderson Mark Anderson's cartoons appear in publications including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. His business cartoons are available for licensing at his website, Andertoons.com.

One Reaction
  1. “Test his mettle.” is cool. I can’t imagine it being anything else. Saying that though, if I really had to choose a couple more, I’d go with “grovel for forgiveness” or “waste everyone’s time.”