going like Jack the bear

[Gregory {Greg} Downing]

At 10:54 AM 5/2/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Is anyone familiar with the phrase "going like Jack the bear," meaning
>'going very fast?'  We are told that it's old and Southern. Is it
>appropriate to a particular context?
>

I don't know the locution, but as an aside I kind of wonder whether this
phrase might have contributed to the coining of Jack Nicklaus's nickname,
the Golden Bear ???

I see from a quick trip to a search-engine that there's a drag-racing car
out there at the moment called "Jack the Bear" -- it's in the list at

http://www.draglist.com/lists/gas.txt

So the phrase must still be current.


Greg Downing/NYU, at greg.downing at nyu.edu or gd2 at is2.nyu.edu