"The dog ate my ..."

[Garson O'Toole]

Below is a link to a message in the ADS archive that gives the
citation for a New York Times article dated February 18, 1962. The
article contains: "Homework still isn't handed in because the book was
left in school; the dog ate it; the baby ate it; little brother
scribbled all over it; ..."
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ADS-L;3C7FwQ;200403242357050500D


Here is a remark analogous to "the dog ate my homework" from the mouth
of a major military figure in 1932.

Cite: 1932 June 23, Boston Globe, Odd Items From Everywhere, Page 28,
Boston, Massachusetts. (ProQuest)

The story of what became of the speech Gen Max Weygand was to have
made when he took his place recently as one of the Immortals of the
French Academy, has been revealed. When the time came for his address,
he rose and said: "Gentlemen, I had prepared a speech of more than six
pages, but I left it on my study table and my dog ate it."


Here is an example two years before the 1962 date above where a
"census form" instantiates the neglected task instead of homework.

Cite: 1960 April 3, New York Times, Census Aides' Day is Spent on
Phone, Page 82, New York. (ProQuest)

At the Union County, N, J., district office, where Shelby F. Fell is
supervisor, a record was kept of the explanations householders gave
for their need of a census form. Only a few said the mail carrier had
failed to deliver it.

Others said:
"My dog ate it."
"My baby chewed it up."
"It went out with the garbage."
"My son burned it up with old papers."


Here is another thematically related piece of humor in 1960.

Cite: 1960 August 18, Boston Globe, Quick Course, [Associated Press
article], Page 34, Boston, Massachusetts. (ProQuest) [Title given as
"Ouick Course" by ProQuest]

When Marlin Townsend acquired his young German shepherd dog he
borrowed a book from the library on the care and training of the pet.

Townsend didn't find what was in the book. The dog ate it.


Here are some more excuses from adults instead of schoolchildren in 1960.

Cite: 1960 October 17, Chicago Tribune, Reaching Absentee Voters
Presents Big Election Task by Louise Hutchinson, Page 5, Chicago,
Illinois. (ProQuest)

Once a ballot is sent, the board must know its whereabouts if it isn't
returned. And this yields some odd responses.

"A Chicagoan vacationing in California answered our inquiry one year
that a dog had eaten it," Machinis said. "Another replied the baby had
lost it."

Garson


On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 2:29 AM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "The dog ate my ..."
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Certainly not the earliest, but here's one from 1964:
>
> http://goo.gl/fVDJ1
>
>> Meriden Journal - Jul 13, 1964
> Fun Time. The Chuckle Box. p. 5
>
>>  Passenger: I'm sorry, but my dog ate my ticket. Conductor: Then I suggest
>> you buy him a second helping.
>
>
> VS-)
>
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 3:53 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>>
>> So it could - in theory - be based on an actual event from the dawn of
>> homework-as-we- know-it.
>>
>> JL
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 3:39 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com
>> >wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > Of no linguistic value, but a true story--we actually had a dog that ate
>> > an insurance check. We had to call the insurance company and give them
>> > the "dog ate my check" excuse so that they would send a replacement.
>> > Even offered to send them the left-over scrap (about 2-in. corner
>> > piece). They laughed very hard for a long time, but replaced it....
>>
>
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