"pickle-puss"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

I see I've been beaten to the punch, so I'll just add another early form:

-----
1936 _Washington Post_ 12 Mar. 16/8 Pickle-Pussed Jock [sc. boxer Jock
McAvoy] will be a slight favorite in the betting.
-----

The jocular name in the Mar. '35 _Post_ also appears in a boxing article,
though not by the same writer ('35 is Bill McCormick, '36 is Jack Miley).

--Ben Zimmer


On Mon, 4 Jul 2005 21:25:41 -0400, Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM> wrote:

>Interestingly, the second hit on Proquest is a story from Oct, 1936.  A
>story which says that Fred Allen refers to himself as "picklepuss."  I'd
>suggest that he may have originated it.
>
>Hey!  I'm just trying to recover from Doug's scoop here.  I was looking out
>for Ben, but forgot about Doug.  Curses!
>
>Sam Clements
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 8:55 PM
>Subject: Re: "pickle-puss"
>
>
>> "Picklepuss" (no hyphen) appears in the Zanesvlle (OH) _Times Recorder_
>> of 15 May 1936, p. 8, at N'archive.
>>
>> Also as a jocular surname in the _Washington Post_ of 10 March 1935, p.
>> 18, at ProQuest.
>>
>> -- Doug Wilson
>>