"What part of 'No!' ...?"

Charles Doyle cdoyle at UGA.EDU
Wed Oct 25 18:27:38 UTC 2006


Lexis/Nexis yields a 1989 instance from the Washington Post (26 Oct.), noting the expression as a button-inscription.

--Charlie
____________________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 10:19:26 -0700
>From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>Subject: "What part of 'No!' ...?"
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

>
>This has become a big-time cliche' over the last few years, right there with the somewhat older "Read my lips!"
>
>  Here's the earliest I've found :
>
>  1992  _L.A. Times_ (Washington ed.) (July 8) B6 [cited at: http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.aids/browse_thread/thread/72ca435d6d1d391f/6fc718634a554f98?lnk=st&q=%22what+part+of+no+don%27t+you+understand%22+1991&rnum=9#6fc718634a554f98] : The spots all involve teenagers and how they handle the peer pressure to have sex.  "Just what part of 'no' don't you understand?" a teenager tells her boyfriend.
>
>  JL
>

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