"By guess and by gosh" (1896); "A little bit of this/that" (1925)

Thu May 8 01:27:40 UTC 2003

BY GUESS AND BY GOSH

   DARE has 1914, plus a nice map, for "by guess and by gosh."  OED has 1909 for "by guess and by Godrey."  It's also "by guess and by gorry," as I quoted in the NEW ENGLAND COOKBOOK (1954).

(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
   ROOSEVELT DENOUNCES HOOVER'S TACTICS; CHARGES ROLE 'BY GUESS AND BY GAMBLE'; YOUNG CONDEMNS REPUBLICANS' 'THREATS'; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Nov 4, 1932; pg. 1, 1 pgs

   Display Ad 161 -- No Title; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Oct 5, 1930; pg. BR8, 1 pgs
(The book title BY GUESS AND BY GOD, by William Guy Carr.)
   PERSONS AND PLACES.; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Jan 12, 1896; pg. 27, 1 pgs
("Now, I don't propose to run my oyster cooking by guess and by gosh, but I have a thermometer and require the fat to be heated to a certai temperature.")

(AMERICAN PERIODICAL SERIES)
A Journal of Outdoor Life, Travel, Nature Study, Shooting, Fishing, Yachting (1873-1930), New York; Sep 17, 1891; Vol. VOL. XXXVII., Iss. 0 PAPOOSE AND MERLE.; Forest and Stream; pg. 175, 1 pgs
("The course was triangular, 3 miles on a side, twice around; but no the buoys were set 'by guess and by jingo' by an old fisherman, the course was not more than 14 miles all told.")

 A Journal of Outdoor Life, Travel, Nature Study, Shooting, Fishing, Yachting (1873-1930), New York; Nov 15, 1888; Vol. VOL. XXXI., Iss. 0
THE WHITE SQUALL.; Forest and Stream; pg. 335, 1 pgs
("The forms in use are the birch and primitive log pirogue, with a few lapstreaks of uncertain shape and unknown weight, and for the most part built 'by guess and by greenness.'")

Putnam's Monthly Magazine of American Literature, Science, and Art (1853-1857), New York; Mar 1853; Vol. VOL. I., Iss. 0
AN EXCURSION TO CANADA.; pg. 321, 9 pgs
(It's in MAKING OF AMERICA-CORNELL, below--ed.)

(MAKING OF AMERICA-MICHIGAN, BOOKS)
Author: Hart, John S. (John Seely), 1810-1877.
Title: In the school-room. Chapters in the philosophy of education. John S. Hart.
Publication date: 1868.
Search results: 2 matches in full text
Page 139  - 1 term matching "by guess and by" (instinct--ed.)
Page 270  - 1 term matching "by guess and by" (tradition--ed.)

(MAKING OF AMERICA-MICHIGAN, JOURNALS)
Title: Common Schools
Publication Info.: The Princeton review. / Volume 38, Issue 1, Jan 1866, pp.25-47
Search results: 1 match in full text
Common Schools, pp.25-47
Page 46  - 1 term matching "by guess and by" (tradition--ed.)

(MAKING OF AMERICA-CORNELL)
    * Excursion to Canada: pp. 321-329
          o p. 326 1 match of 'by guess and by'
  in:
Title: Putnam's monthly magazine of American literature, science and art. / Volume 1, Issue 3
Publisher: G.P. Putnam & co. Publication Date: March 1853
City: New York Pages: 714 page images in vol.
This entire journal issue:  http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABK9283-0001&byte=140790898
("...steering by guess and by compass...")

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A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND A LITTLE BIT OF THAT

   Not in OED.

   Hollywood Gossip; HEDDA HOPPER; The Washington Post (1877-1954), Washington, D.C.; Oct 5, 1944; pg. 8, 1 pgs

   Display Ad 69 -- No Title; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Feb 20, 1944; pg. SM15, 1 pgs

   THE SCREEN; Musical Hash ; By BOSLEY CROWTHER; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Feb 26, 1942; pg. 15, 1 pgs
("What's Cookin',' at Loew's Criterion, is a highly incidental dish of nonsense knocked together by Universal out of a little bit of this (the Andrews Sisters) and a liitle bit of that (Gloria Jean), all oozing with jam provided by Woody Herman's orchestra and a gang of rug-cutting kids.")

   Canine Caterer Reports Dogs As Choosy as a Darling Child; Much Like People and Often Come to Percy War- ner Very Much Overfed; His Service Satisfies the Most Fastidious.; The Washington Post (1877-1954), Washington, D.C.; May 17, 1936; pg. R23, 1 pgs
("He takes along a sample tray and feeds the mutt a little bit of this and a little bit of that until he learns what it likes.")

   STRAIGHT TALKS ABOUT MONEY; Where Delays Are Costly, Spending Is Wise.; By MARY ELIZABETH ALLEN; The Washington Post (1877-1954), Washington, D.C.; Aug 28, 1925; pg. 10, 1 pgs
("We all know that many of the necessities of the home can be bought to better advantage in quantities, and yet we keep putting it off, ordering little bits of this and little bits of that, until we have dribbled out two or three times the amount necessary.")