"Right back at you!"

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Wed May 4 15:51:45 UTC 2011


A character in a recent movie says, "Right back at you, buddy!" I.e., "The
same to you!"

I've heard this a few times, in both complimentary and uncomplimentary
senses.

GB takes "Well, right back at you!" back (apparently) to 1926 in Texas, with
only one or two appearances until around 2000. when its popularity jumps.
Did Texan W make this famous?

"Right back at you, buddy!" goes only to 2001 (in a book published in 2005).
Similar recent results for "...pal" and "...buster." and "...at you, you..."

JL
--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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