Hogan's Goat, early citations

[Dave Wilton]

Various citations, all except the last from Proquest, on early uses of
Hogan's Goat. DARE has 1955 for "like Hogan's goat." The early references
all reference people named Hogan and one is literally about goats. The
phrase is an allusion to R.F. Outcault's cartoon "Hogan's Alley," which
debuted in 1895 (title was changed to "The Yellow Kid" when the strip moved
to Hearst's New York Journal in 1896.

Los Angeles Times, 30 June 1909, p.I6, "Sporting News Local and Telegraphic"
"One little boot of an easy grounder in the sixth inning killed Hap Hogan's
goat yesterday and the funeral sermon consisted entirely of more hard luck
stories than ten men can tell after they have come back from the race
track." [a reference to baseball player Hap Hogan]

Los Angeles Times, 18 July 1910, p.I8, "Sporting News Local and Telegraphic,
Four to One, Angels Snare Hogan's Goat" [another reference to baseball
player Hap Hogan]

Boston Daily Globe, 22 Jan 1915, p.1, "Name Remains Hogan By Court's
Decision"
"Children Cried: 'Hogan's Goat.'
"'It is sometimes used in the commonest way,' she said. 'Children on the
street when I was going to school in Wakefield would sometimes cry out
'Hogan's goat' and 'Hogan's ally.' The name is certainly not American in
sentiment." [article about a family named Hogan trying to change their name]

Chicago Daily Tribune, 8 Nov 1915, p.1, "44,155 Wets In Parade"
"'Hogan's Goats' in Line.
"In E.G. Richter's division marched the German societies of the south side.
[Societies? -- text unclear] from South Chicago, Grand Crossing, West
Pullman, Austrian-Hungarian societies, and several personal liberty league
organizations. Into this division had floated a big wagon load of 'Hogan's
Goats.' They were supposed to have been recruited from Hogan's flop on West
Madison street." [appears to be literally a wagon full of goats on parade]

Washington Post, 2 Dec 1925, p.18, "Washington Best At New Orleans," by Bert
Collyer
"Regardless of what Mr. Hogan--not Hogan's goat--thinks about the fifth
spasm at Jefferson Park, I'll tell the world that this racer is a running
fool in his present form and if he fails to collect the coin it will be time
to throw the dope books out of the window for the remainder of the season."
[a runner named Hogan]

Chicago Defender, 28 Dec 1935, p.13, "Sam Huston Cagers See Big Season"
"Among the veterans will be Crook Mitchell, Bobby Green, Hogan's Goat Taylor
and Boley Brooks."

Washington Post, 9 April 1940, p. 11, "The Once Over," by H.I. Phillips
"The fans will love it. They don't know a thoroughbred from Hogan's Goat."

World War II Times, March 1942-5?, p.12, "Like Hogan's Goat," by Conrad R.
Frieze, http://www.vp-11.org/HogansGoat.html
"An old Navy descriptive phrase for total confusion is 'fouled up like
Hogan's goat.' This is an accurate account of a PBY early wartime patrol
that was, indeed fouled up like Hogan's goat and therein lies a tale." [date
of this article is uncertain--the reproduction of the pages did not give a
date. The text states that it is a March issue, probably 1943, 44, or 45.
The incident in question was January 1942.]

--Dave Wilton
  dave at wilton.net

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org