Hit a bull in the butt with a banjo; Spit & holler "Howdy!"

[Jonathan Lighter]

HDAS, your one-stop source for American slang, has several related proverbs at "bull," dated from 1945 to 1977.

  Most seem to be related to military experience during WWII, but the number of variants suggests that the notion of being unable to hit a bull in the rump is considerably older.

  JL

Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Bapopik at AOL.COM
Subject: Hit a bull in the butt with a banjo; Spit & holler "Howdy!"
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If anyone has anything else on these two, please post.
...
...
_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/he_couldnt_hit_a_bull_in_th=
e_
butt_with_a_banjo/_=20
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/he_couldnt_hit_a_bull_in_th=
e_butt_with_a_banjo/)=20
...
=20
=E2=80=9CHe couldn=E2=80=99t hit a bull in the butt with a banjo=E2=80=9D
=20
"He couldn=E2=80=99t hit a bull in the butt with a banjo=E2=80=9D is said ab=
out someone who=E2=80=99
s drunk, or an athlete who isn=E2=80=99t having a good day. It=E2=80=99s no=
t certain if this=20
phrase originated in Texas.=20


_Google Groups: alt.sport.paintball_=20
(http://groups.google.com/group/alt.sport.paintball/browse_thread/thread/202=
0bad4d0ed4023/af0aed2bec8fc97a?lnk=3Dst&q=3Dbu
ll+"butt+with+a+banjo"&rnum=3D9&hl=3Den#af0aed2bec8fc97a) =20
From: Kenneth R. Gilder =20
Date: Sun, Jun 2 1996 12:00 am=20

Then again, it=E2=80=99s not the gun - it=E2=80=99s the player behind the g=
un, and there=20
are people who play this game that could have the finest barrel made, and s=
till=20
couldn=E2=80=99t hit a bull in the butt with a banjo.=20

13 April 1971, Washington Post, =E2=80=9CProxmire Seeks Cut in Arms Spendin=
g=E2=80=9D by=20
George C. Wilson, pg. A16:=20
Navy Aircraft Carriers=E2=80=94In war, he said, they would be as easy to hi=
t as a =E2=80=9C
bull in the butt with a bass fiddle.=E2=80=9D=20

5 December 1971, Washington Post, =E2=80=9CThe U.S. Navy Fighter Jet That S=
hot=20
Itself Down, and Other Pentagon Lemons=E2=80=9D by Sen. William Proxmire, p=
g. 242:=20
As one senator said: =E2=80=9CIt is as easy to knock them out as it is to h=
it a bull=20
in the butt with a bass fiddle.=E2=80=9D=20

27 December 1975, Lincoln (Neb.) Star, pg. 11:=20
Dan Kush, a 5-9, 175-pound junior, kicked field goals of 27, 33 and 29 yard=
s=20
just 24 hours after his father claims =E2=80=9Che couldn=E2=80=99t hit a bu=
ll in the butt=20
with a handful of popcorn.=20

27 September 1998, North Hills News Record (Warrendale, PA), pg. B1:=20
Kordell Stewart. This guy couldn=E2=80=99t hit a bull in the butt with a ba=
njo. He=E2=80=99
s constantly throwing into coverage. The Stillers aren=E2=80=99t gonna win=20=
with this=20
guy.=20

Uncle John=E2=80=99s Bathroom Reader=20
Plunges Into Texas=20
by The Bathroom Readers=E2=80=99 Hysterical Society=20
San Diego, CA: Portable Press=20
2004=20
Pg. 251 (The Texas Phrase Book):=20
About someone who=E2=80=99s staggering drunk: =20
=E2=80=9CHe couldn=E2=80=99t hit a bull in the butt with a banjo.=E2=80=9D =20
...=20
...=20
_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/quicker_than_you_can_spit_a=
nd
_holler_howdy/_=20
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/quicker_than_you_can_spit_a=
nd_holler_howdy/) =20
...=20
=E2=80=9CQuicker than you can spit and holler =E2=80=98Howdy!=E2=80=98=E2=
=80=9C
=20
"Quicker than you can spit and holler =E2=80=98Howdy!=E2=80=99=E2=80=9D is v=
ery fast. It=E2=80=99s not=20
known if this phrase originated in Texas.=20


_Google Books_=20
(http://books.google.com/books?vid=3DISBN0803259174&id=3DNAFA_x2KgQUC&pg=3DP=
A35&lpg=3DPA35&dq=3D"holler+howdy"&ie=3DISO-8859-1&sig=3D8taJZar5mZD1tgrwYWq=
w8
Jy7nY4) =20
The Old -Time Cowhand=20
by Ramon F. Adams=20
1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1959, 1960, and 1961=20
Originally published: New York: Macmillan, 1961=20
First Bison Book Printing: 1989=20
Pg. 35:=20
If they=E2=80=99d been able to understand the words, more=E2=80=99n likely=20=
they=E2=80=99d quit the=20
bedground quicker=E2=80=99n you could spit and holler howdy.=20

16 December 1955, Atkinson (KS) Daily Globe, pg. 4:=20
Like Grandpa Sandy says, =E2=80=9CBefore I could spit and holler howdy, it=20=
was gone.=E2=80=9D
=20

Uncle John=E2=80=99s Bathroom Reader=20
Plunges Into Texas=20
by The Bathroom Readers=E2=80=99 Hysterical Society=20
San Diego, CA: Portable Press=20
2004=20
Pg. 157 (Cowboy Talk):=20
=E2=80=9CQuicker =E2=80=98n you can spit =E2=80=98n holler =E2=80=98Howdy!=
=E2=80=99=E2=80=9D=20
Very fast. =20

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