What's shakin', bacon?

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Dec 4, 2011, at 4:30 PM, victor steinbok wrote:

> I don't find anything particularly surprising about the "what's shakin'
> bac'n?" pattern and there is a possible reason for its existence quite
> aside from "rejuvenation of an old pattern". It may well be an clever
> extension of "shake'n'bake" instead.
>
> As for "See you later alligator", if for no other reason, it's been kept
> alive by Lubriderm commercials, although they lack the witty retort--which
> is, nonetheless, implied. Aside from that, I've been hearing from
> elementary-to-middle-school students virtually continuously since I learned
> it myself (in college--but my sister was in elementary school at the time).

notes on the verse form here:

http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/alligator-goodbyes/

as Jon Lighter reported, the pattern seems to have been around for 60+ years.

arnold

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