reach for the sky

[Jonathan Lighter]

Because the original 1910 copyright is to "Street & Smith," a publisher of
pulp adventure periodicals. Subject to refutation, the presumption is that
the phrase was written in 1910.

Judging by the 1909 ex. with "stars," Raine decided that "sky" might be of
wider application.

Re Garson's 1853: the people of Babel got into trouble precisely for trying
to reach to the sky. It was a very bad thing.

How times change.

JL

On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:15 AM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: reach for the sky
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  Jonathan Lighter wrote
> > Beats me, but OED combines "reach for the sky" with the
> > synonymous-in-every-sense "reach for the stars," which, despite what the
> > entry might lead one to think, is not used nearly so often by fictional
> > Western gun-toters.
>
> Bill Mullins asked
> > Why the 1910 dating if the book was published in 1911?
>
> Good question. OED first cite is 1910 for "reach for the (sky, roof,
> stars)" in the gunslinger sense. Here is a slight improvement based on
> the "stars" variant.
>
> OED (2008) reach, v. 2. g. orig. U.S. To raise the hands above the
> head, when held at gunpoint.
>
> Cite: 1909 October, Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, Melissy by William
> MacLeod Raine, Page 401, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia.
> (Google Books full view; Google uses the designation McBride's
> Magazine but the page images say Lippincott's Monthly Magazine)
>
> Alan lowered his hands and did as directed.
> "Now reach for the stars again."
> McKinstra's arms went skyward. Without his weapon, he was helpless to
> do otherwise.
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=xM_UAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Now+reach%22#v=snippet&
>
>
> On the topic of "reach for the sky" with an inspirational sense: Here
> is an 1853 example with an inverted sense. The phrase "attempt to
> reach unto the sky" was used metaphorically to designate an action
> that was certain to fail.
>
> Cite: 1853: The National Orange and Protestant Minstrel, Page 93,
> Bradford: Squire Auty.
>
> So brothers all unite - love God with heart and hope,
> And then our cause will prosper, and we need not fear the pope;
> For he might then as well attempt to reach unto the sky,
> As move us with his tyranny, so him we all defy.
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=955bAAAAQAAJ&q=%22reach+unto%22#v=snippet&
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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