"how about's"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 10/8/06, Arnold M. Zwicky <zwicky at csli.stanford.edu> wrote:
> now several people have pointed out that there are in fact three
> variants:
>    how's about
>    how about's
>    how's about's
> it looks like the first is hugely more frequent (and it's the only
> one i could imagine saying myself), so it's possible that it's the
> source.  then "how about" comes to be treated as a chunk, and the 's
> gets located at the end of it.  (the third is just a combo of the
> other two variants.)
>
> this story, of course, just reduces one puzzle to another: where the
> 's of "how's about" comes from.

I don't have any theories for the creation of "how's about", but the
newspaper databases can help us pinpoint its initial popularization
fairly precisely. It begins showing up (particularly in entertainment
and sports columns) in 1933, sometimes in quotes -- a fair indicator
of the phrase's novelty. Variants start appearing shortly thereafter.

* how's about...

-----
1933 _Los Angeles Times_ 2 July VI2/6 This being the open season for
patting folks on the back, "how's about" a few cheers for Harry
Hinkle, the only guy in the history of amateur sports to win nine
national A.A.U. titles in consecutive years?
[HNP Doc ID 389066871]
-----
1933 _Los Angeles Times_ 11 Oct. II2/6 (heading) Well, how's about it,
judge? Two youngsters present film contracts.
[HNP Doc ID 389301191]
-----
1933 _Chicago Daily Tribune_ 17 Nov. 24/4 When planning the
Thanksgiving dinner, whether it is to be a pompous gobbler, a big fat
goose, game in season, capon or just a plain barn-yard fowl, "how's
about" the dressing?
[HNP Doc ID 443307892]
-----

* hows about...

-----
1934 _Los Angeles Times_ 21 Oct. III9/1 Hows about it, Tommy?
[HNP Doc ID 395787871]
-----
1935 _Los Angeles Times_ 20 May II7/2 Hows about another one, eh, Guy?
[HNP Doc ID 392934801]
-----

* howzabout...

-----
1935 _Los Angeles Times_ 14 Nov. II10/5 Howzabout trying the same
pre-game warm-up sometime, Mr. JOnes, Mr. Spaluding, Mr. Thornhill,
Mr. Allison, Mr. Liebe, Mr. Madigan, Mr. Smith, Mr. Zilch and
practically all youse guys?
[HNP Doc ID 394059701]
-----

* howsabout...

-----
1936 _Hammond (Ind.) Times_ 13 Jan. 11 (advt.) Howsabout coming in for
that all-season Society Brand or Kuppenheimer suit at $29.50?
-----


--Ben Zimmer

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