-- not!

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Mon, Mar 01, 2004 at 08:09:10PM -0600, Gerald Cohen wrote:
> >From George Thompson, Mon, 1 Mar 2004:
> >
> >We have batted about the practice of making a negative statement by
> >making an affirmative statement and capping it with an emphatic " --
> >not!"  I don't recall where we left it, and don't know how to find
> >it in the archives.
> >
> >So --
> >
> >Here is at least a pretty early example:
> >
> >It Was Some Opening -- Not.
> >Sporting News, April 17, 1913, p. 6, col. 4.  [Headline to a story:
> >opening day games in some American Association cities were snowed
> >out.]
> >
> >GAT
> >
> >George A. Thompson
>
>
> Jesse Sheidlower wrote an article in American Speech on this topic.
> The use of "...Not!" goes back to the 19th century.

Thanks, Jerry. That article was written with Jon Lighter, and, since
then, Barry (remember him?) has found earlier evidence.

1913 is still good, though.

Jesse Sheidlower