antedatings: "tough luck," "oohs and ahs"

[Dennis R. Preston]

And the last''s euphemistic "tough tea-bags."

dInIs

>>Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> sez:
>>>>>
>>  Thanks, Sam.  But nowadays it's more often used sarcastically as an
>>interjection than as a simple synonym for "hard luck." (In the '50s even
>>that had been mostly supplanted by the sarcastic use of "tough!" all by
>>itself.)
>>  <<<
>>
>>Also "tough sh*t", at least in the 60s.
>>
>And its alliterative counterpart, "tough titties".
>
>L


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
Office: (517) 453-4736
Fax: (517) 453-3755