"Here's looking at you," etc. (1881)

Benjamin Zimmer bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU
Thu Jun 30 20:03:43 UTC 2005


"Here's looking at you, kid" from _Casablanca_ came in at #5 on the AFI's
top 100 movie quotes.  HDAS has it (minus "kid") from 1884.  Here it is
from 1881 with various other toasts and saloon-speak:

-----
_Washington Post_, Nov. 30, 1881, p. 2, col. 3
Saloon Etiquette.
>From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Some savant of the saloons has compiled the following catalogue of
alcoholic passwords: _New Jersey_-- "Well, here we go!" _New York_-- "My
regards." _California_-- "How!" _Indiana_-- "Here's to us." _Washington_--
"Here we go." _Mexico_-- "A la salud de U." (Your health.) _Illinois_--
"Another nail in the coffin." _Ohio_-- "I hope I see you well, sir."
_Kentucky_-- "Time." _Maine_-- "Take it sly." _Boston_-- "To the club."
_Wisconsin_-- "Here's looking at you." _Virginia_-- "Here's hoping."
_Pennsylvania_--"Here's to the old grudge." _North Carolina_-- "Here's all
the hair off your head." _Nevada_-- "Here we jolt." _Miscellaneous_--
"Boys, what'll you have?" "Let's go and take a ball." "Name yer pizen."
"Gentlemen, please name your beverage." "Gentlemen, will you join me?"
"Well, how will you take it?" "Gimme some of the old stuff." "A gin fizz,
if you please." "Whisky (if you can spare it)." "Let us go and shed a
tear." "Here's another luck." "Beer all the time-- nothing but beer."
"Give it to me straight." "Good-by."
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--Ben Zimmer



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