long walk ...

[Garson O'Toole]

In 1934 the phrase occurs with the preposition off.

Cite: 1934 April 23, Manitowoc Herald-Times, Where's Civic Pride? No
Clue To Dillinger, Page 7, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

"You ought to take a long walk off a short pier. You're crazy as hell."

On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 10:41 AM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: long walk ...
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Here is a close variant in 1943: long walk on a short dock.
>
> 1943 May 30 - The Milwaukee Journal
> Radio? They Do It With Mirrors!
> No wonder he bankrolled on ideas that would have made a less seasoned
> showman want to take a long walk on a short dock.
>
> In the cite below the phrase is being collected by a proto-quotographer.
>
> 1945 July 6 - Cleveland Plain Dealer - Page 8
> Here are Word-Slams From Book Joey Adams, Master of Squelch, Is
> Compiling by W. Ward Marsh
> "Why don't you take a nice long walk on a short pier?"
>
> Garson
>
> On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 10:01 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: long walk ...
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Google Books claims 1947 in Nelson Algren, _The Neon Wilderness_,
>> page 31 (snippet).  Harvard says 1947 is first edition.
>>
>> "Try taking a long walk on a short pier one of these days."
>>
>> Joel
>>
>> At 5/17/2010 09:05 AM, David Barnhart wrote:
>>>Yesterday, in the presence of a "friend" I suggested was contemplating a
>>>long walk.  He said "on a short pier."  The earliest quote I've found for
>>>that is 1952.  Not all my resources are handy here.  Does anyone have
>>>earlier evidence?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>
>>>David
>>>Barnhart at highlands.com

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