"bring it on!"

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

from Bruce Webster, who suggested this as a topic for Language Log.  i
don't have the answer to his question, and tracking phrase origins is
not my thing.  but ADS-L would be an appropriate place to pose the
question.

as it turns out, Grant Barrett asked about the phrase here on 2/2/04:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0402A&L=ADS-L&P=R1958&I=-3

but i see no record of his getting a response.  anyone have any fresh
insights?

Begin forwarded message:

>
> Irregular Webcomic (which, despite the name, is published daily)
> carries on several separate stories -- all in different settings and
> time periods -- using Legos. One story is an "Indiana Jones" parody,
> modeled roughly after "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". Here's
> today's strip:
>
>   http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1966.html
>
> The author's notes below the strip state:
>
>   I initially wrote Monty's line in the second panel as, "Bring it
> on!"
>
>   Of course I doubt anyone ever said, "Bring it on," before the 1990s.
>
> So, how old _is_ that phrase?  ..bruce..

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