Query: "Winner, winner, chicken dinner"

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

One of my students has asked me about "Winner, winner, chicken dinner" -- something I had never heard of before.   Would anyone known anything about it?  I asked my student to e-mail me what he had told me so I could forward it accurately to ads-l.  Any information/insight about it would be much appreciated.

Gerald Cohen

[e-mail from student]:

I'm emailing you the question I had about "Winner, winner, chicken dinner."  I was wondering where it arose.  All I know of it is that it (the saying) has been used by sportscasters for at least twenty years, and that it's well-known enough that there are t-shirts with the saying emblazened on them:

http://www.espnshop.com/catalog/productdetail/model_nbr--87439/sku--56729211/cm--GLOBAL%20SEARCH%3A%20KEYWORD%20SEARCH/

I've heard that the origin may have something to do with sports betting in the World War Two era, but I haven't found a reputable source that acknowledges this.

Thanks,

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