“If I had a nickel for every time I heard it, I’d probably be a millionaire.”

[Jonathan Lighter]

With "nickel," this was one of my grandfather's favorite expressions.

He was born in NYC in 1884.

JL

On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 11:30 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:
>  =?windows-1252?Q?=93If_I_had_a_nickel_for_every_time_I_heard_it=2
>              C_I=92?= =?windows-1252?Q?d_probably_be_a_millionaire=2E=94?=
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> That quote was made by NY football Giants receiver Victor Cruz in
> today's NYTimes.
>
> A quick look at GB and the oldest quote I found is from Helmut Flieg,
> under the pseudonym Stefan Heym -- "Goldsborough, a novel" dated 1954:
> "If I had a nickel for every tear I've seen in this business, I'd be a
> millionaire."
>
> I did find an older quote going down to a penny, but missing the
> millionaire:
>
> The American magazine: Volume 114
> 1932 - Snippet view
> "Land sakes, I wish I had a penny for every wishful look I've seen
> little fellows cast at the doll counter when I worked"
>
> Turning to shilling, I found this, including the millionaire, but not
> as intended:
> The strand magazine: Volume 71
> 1926 - Snippet view
> "I wish I had a shilling for every time I've failed to become a
> millionaire through lack of the necessary capital."
>
> Dollar seems to be the big winner, although you get to your goal 20
> times as fast;
> Every other Sunday, Volume 15 , p.167
> No. 21 -- June 17, 1900
> By Unitarian Sunday-School Society
> "If I had a dollar for every mosquito I have killed, I should be a
> millionaire by this time."
>
> DanG
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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

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