Hail Columbia

[Jonathan Lighter]

My grandmother used to say "give him Hail Columbia."

For those who don't know, the opening bars of that patriotic song have a
"feel" roughly like that of the "Anvil Chorus":

"HAIL CoLUMbia - HAPpy LAND!"

JL

On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 1:14 AM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Hail Columbia
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Slight correction--p. 4/3, not 3/3
>
> VS-)
>
> On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 12:49 AM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > A follow-up on Shut the Door and similar constructions:
> >
> > http://goo.gl/dwLON
> > How the Language Has Changed. George Sokolsky. Rome News-Tribune - Apr
> 25,
> > 1951. p. 3/3
> > [Commenting on A Dictionary of Americanism on Historical Principles]
> >
> >> So I found that "Hail Columbia" is a synonym for the expletive, "Hell!"
> >> and that took me back what seems to me to be a century of two when women
> >> used to say politely, "I'll give him Hail Columbia!" That was to avoid
> >> saying such a bad word as hell. Imagine what those sweet ladies would
> have
> >> thought if they heard what President Truman said about Drew Pearson and
> the
> >> kind of words that have to be used to get a good curtain on a second
> act.
> >>
> >
> > VS-)
> >
>
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