Simile: like *substance* through a tin horn

[Garson O'Toole]

On the Project Wombat mailing list Jane Steinberg initiated a
discussion of the phrase "like shit through a tin horn".
[Begin excerpt]
I used to work for a harpsichord builder who, whenever something went
absolutely perfectly, would say, "like shit through a tin horn."
[End excerpt]

The appearance of the word "shit" in print was restricted in the past.
So I think it makes sense, as a start, to gather evidence by looking
for variants of the phrase in the major text databases. Here are some
variants that appeared in newspapers and periodicals beginning in the
1880s. I did not try to find the earliest examples. Details are below:

Main question: Why do you think a tin horn is used in this collection
of similes?

like butter through a tin horn
like water through a tin horn
like mud through a tin-horn

Here is an example of "like butter through a tin horn" in 1887. A boat
was grounded on a bar in a river. Eventually, a strategy was found to
move the boat forward past the bar.

Cite: 1887 October 09, Kansas City Times, Science in Navigation,
[Acknowledgement to Mobile Register], Page 19, Column 4, Kansas City,
Missouri. (GenealogyBank)
[Begin excerpt]
Then the rope was tied to a tree on the bank above and the old Carrier
went over that bar like butter through a tin horn.
[End excerpt]

Cite: 1895, Senate Ex. Doc. No 57, Fifty Third Congress Second
Session, Topic: Hawaiian Islands, [Inclosure 2 in No. 36],
[Advertiser report of mass meeting, February 13, 1894.]  D. B. Smith
Is Again Nominated, Page 1229, Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C. (Google Books full view)
http://books.google.com/books?id=vRs2AQAAIAAJ&q=%22tin+horn%22#v=snippet&
[Begin excerpt]
T. B. Severin then placed in nomination D. B. Smith. His name was
received with prolonged cheers, and was seconded by the whole league.
Three howls were called for on the nomination, the clockwork was again
put in motion and the league, as one man, signified its approval of
Mr. Smith. J. B. Atherton then moved that the nominations be closed,
which was carried, and D. B. Smith had been sent through the meeting
like water through a tin horn.
[End excerpt]

In the domain of sports, the phrase "water through a tin horn" was
used with quotation marks in 1897. It was used to describe a runner
easily penetrating the defense of the opposing team and scoring a
touchdown.

Cite: 1897 December 26, Oregonian, "Fought In Deep Mud: Multnomah Wins
Christmas Football Game, 10-6", Page 8, Quote in Column 2. Portland,
Oregon. (Genealogybank)
[Begin excerpt]
Wilbur was given the ball, and, with fine interference, plunged
through Multnomah's line like "water through a tin horn" and scored
Portland's only touchdown.
[End excerpt]

The phrase "like mud through a tin-horn" was used in quotes in 1906.
The word "mud" was sometimes used as a euphemism for "shit" in
periodicals. So the phrase "like shit through a tin-horn" may have
been used by a pilot in the following excerpt.

Cite: 1906 December, The Rudder, Volume 17, Number 12, A Fast Trip
Down the Hudson by Walter M. Bieling, Quote Page 735, The Rudder
Publishing Company, New York. (Google Books full view)
http://books.google.com/books?id=CCYjAQAAMAAJ&q=tin-horn#v=snippet&
[Begin excerpt]
We got off rather suddenly; our start was most businesslike, and we
went out of the Albany Y. C. basin, according to the pilot, "like mud
through a tin-horn."
[End excerpt]

George S. Patton used the phrase on September 23, 1944 according to
the following book:

The Patton papers 1940-1945
Author: George S Patton; Martin Blumenson
Publisher: New York : Da Capo Press, [1998]
http://books.google.com/books?id=RRolDuahqPMC&q=%22tin+horn%22#v=snippet&
[Begin excerpt]
Question: Once through the Siegfried Line, will the advance be much
like the last push?
Patton: I think we will go like shit through a tin horn.
[End excerpt]

The idea of a substance moving through a tin horn easily was used in
similes by 1887 or earlier. The substance used in the simile varied:
butter, water and mud all appeared by 1906.  Other options include:
huckleberries, dose of salts, grease, shit, gooseshit, molasses and
more. I do not know why a tin-horn was selected for this collection of
similes.

Garson O'Toole

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