"go figure (it (out))"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

I see from the ADS-L archive that there was some discussion of "go figure"
in May 2001.  Jesse said that the earliest OED cite thus far was from
1980, and that is indeed what appears in the June 2004 draft entry for
"go".  Jesse suspected that this could be antedated, perhaps even back to
the '50s.  Newspaperarchive turns up a few cites from the '70s:

   Walla Walla (Washington) Union Bulletin, June 3, 1970 (13/3)
   "There Oughta Be A Law" by Al Shorten
   [sic: the comic strip was by Al Fagaly & Harry Shorten]
   Go Figure Dep't: When Hoggwell was courting Delladream, she dished
   up some meals that wouldn't stop. Now that they're hitched, the
   only time she goes into the kitchen is for a glass of water.

   Reno (Nevada) Evening Gazette, November 14, 1975 (15/1)
   NEW YORK (AP) -- Go figure.
   The figures under the roster column labeled "Age" tell us that the
   Washington Redskins are obviously too old to be running around on
   football fields.

Also, this tagline for the movie _The Big Fix_ appeared in various
newspaper ads in the fall of 1978:

   "Richard Dreyfuss as Moses Wine, private detective. So go figure."

I haven't yet come across any cites for the bare "go figure" in the '60s,
but there are numerous examples of the transitive form "go figure X",
perhaps shortened from "go figure X out":

   Lincoln (Nebraska) Evening Journal, December 17, 1960
   Go figure these things.

   Coshocton (Ohio) Tribune, May 10, 1964
   Go figure this booking.

   Syracuse (New York) Herald Journal, July 27, 1966
   Go figure critics.

   (Monessen, Pennsylvania) Valley Independent, November 16, 1967
   Go figure the Ivy League.

   (Elyria,  Ohio) Chronicle Telegram, March 22, 1969
   Go figure kids.

   (Burlington, North Carolina) Daily Times News, December 16, 1969
   Go figure it.

   Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press, June 10, 1970
   Go figure ballplayers.

The earliest transitive usage I can find is from 1955 ("You go figure it"):

   Mansfield (Ohio) News Journal, June 03, 1955
   If you think that makes me a crazy mixed up kid, scratch any
   millionaire or ulcer-stricken giant of industry and you'll find a
   guy who longs for the little home in the country and the carpet
   slipper routine. You go figure it.

"Go figure it out" dates back to 1953 at least, in a quote from the actor
Robert Stack that appeared in Erskine Johnson's syndicated column:

   Walla Walla (Washington) Union Bulletin, June 10, 1953
   It may have been that 3-D kiss he gave Barbara Britton, or the mint
   earned by "Bwana Devil," but Bob hasn't had a minute off in months
   and he's getting "the kind of roles I used to dream about" in films
   like "War Paint" and "Sabre Jet."
   "Go figure it out." Bob sighed. "After 'The Bullfighter and the Lady,'
   which was a great prestige picture, I didn't work for a year. 'Bwana
   Devil,' panned by everybody in Hollywood, did the trick for me."


--Ben Zimmer