"As If"

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Tue, Jun 21, 2005 at 07:03:58AM -0400, Fred Shapiro wrote:
> I assume that the expression "as if" did not originate in the 1995 film
> Clueless.  Any opinions as to whether that film popularized the
> expression?  Does anyone have any early citations for it?

The OED's entry for this has three pre-_Clueless_ cites, from Frank
Norris in 1902, from one of Connie Eble's slang collections in 1981,
and from the 1991 shooting script for the _Wayne's World_ movie.

Jesse Sheidlower
OED