Antedatings in the Yale Book of Quotations -- 16: Funny Peculiar

[Fred Shapiro]

funny peculiar, funny ha-ha (OED 1938 for both)

1928 Mariel Brady _Genevieve Gertrude_ ch. 7  "Do you mean funny peculiar,
or funny ha-ha?" she inquired politely. ... "Cause," explained his mentor
gravely, "our teacher don't allow us to say funny when we mean peculiar.
It's bad English, you know."

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
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