Herb <snip>

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Wed, Sep 17, 2003 at 08:56:37AM -0400, James A. Landau wrote:
> In a message dated Tue, 16 Sep 2003 21:05:41 EDT, >   Bapopik at AOL.COM
> > writeth:
> >
> > HERB
> >
> >   The RHHDAS has "Herb" (_Stu._ a clumsy or stupid person; GEEK) from 1993,
> > Univ. Tenn. prof., age 49.  Did that Tennessee professor come from New York
> > City?  The other cites are NYC, including one "1994 Graffito in N.Y.C.
> > subway
> > (Coll. J. Sheidlower)."
>
>
> Didn't the Burger King chain have an advertising campaign in the late 1980's
> in which there were pictures of "Herb" posted and if you spotted the person in
> the picture and asked him, "Are you Herb" you won a prize?

Yes, I don't know the exact date but the BK campaign definitely
popularized this term. We now have evidence slightly earlier than
1993.

I don't know if the U Tenn professor was a New Yorker, but it was
not Lighter himself, if that's what Barry was actually asking.

Jesse Sheidlower