Heard in Missouri: "but good!"

[Jonathan Lighter]

I've known this all my life, mostly (maybe exclusively) in the contexts Larry suggests.

  As for "and how!", it's surprising just how uncommon this has become in all communications media. Including speech.

  JL

"Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Arnold M. Zwicky"
Subject: Re: Heard in Missouri: "but good!"
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let me try this again; it slipped out of my grasp the first time...

On Dec 19, 2007, at 9:18 AM, David Donnell wrote:

> Question about an expression I just heard: "but good!"
>
> ... The expression never registered with me before, although it
> sounded
> familiar rolling off her tongue; it apparently means something like
> "and how!"

note that it really won't do to define one opaque idioms by another.

>
> Is anyone familiar with this critter?

it's in the AHD Dictionary of Idioms (1997):

Emphatically, thoroughly, as in Ruth decided to clean up the whole
yard but good. The word but in this colloquialism functions as an
intensive. Also see _and how_. x

so far as i know, it's general american. colloquial, but widespread.

arnold

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