Dollars to Doughnuts

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 10/08/2001 3:42:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
Bapopik at AOL.COM writes:

> DOLLARS TO DOUGHNUTS
>     The RHHDAS, under "doughnut," has 1893.
>  1891-09-12
>  1891-11-14

I assume the citations are for the word "doughnut" rather than the phrase
"dollars to doughnuts"?

"Dollars to doughnuts" appears in a song in the move "State Fair" (the
version starring Tom Ewell which appeared in the late 1950's or early
1960's).  Since the word "doughnuts" does not rhyme with anything, it would
seem that "dollars to doughnuts" was an already existing phrase that the
lyricist chose to use.

I think the "State Fair" that I saw was a remake of an earlier movie of the
same name.  Did the "Dollars to doughnuts" song appear in the earlier movie?

Within the myth of Alfred Bulltop Stormalong there is the story that
Stormalong invented the doughnut by taking round pastries supplied by the
ship's cook and sticking them on the spokes of the ship's wheel so that they
would be at hand when he got hungry.  (This sounds to me like an independent
legend that someone could not resist adding to the Stormalong cycle.)  I am
curious whether it is more likely that the spoke-of-the-wheel story will
provide an antedating for "doughnut" or that known information on the history
of this weak-willed bagel will provide a dating for the Stormalong legend.

Alfred Bulltop Stormalong also produced a folk etymology.  When he first went
to sea, he signed his name on the ship's articles as "Stormalong, A. B." and
ever since seamen have adopted the custom of putting "AB" after their names.

Back to doughnuts.  As best as I can figure out, a "plugged nickel" is a
nickel with a hole in the middle (presumably produced by a pistol bullet).
If such a ring of metal is a metaphor for worthlessness, would the doughnut
also have managed to creep into this metaphor?

                - Jim Landau (who this morning found himself with half a
package of cream cheese and no bagels to put it on)