Liquor up front. Poker in the rear.

[Jonathan Lighter]

The early '80s strike me as the heyday of such T-shirts on campus, though I
wouldn't be surprised to learn  that they were popular a couple of years
earlier.

I saw so many puns that I once thought of writing them down for posterity.
 But  I decided I was too busy.

JL

On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 1:58 AM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Liquor up front. Poker in the rear.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I would swear I've seen that sign in bars in the 1970s in Alaska, though =
> maybe "liquor in the front, ...."
>
> The earliest hit I see for that variation is 1990: =
> http://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena/activity/h/humor/MIT/er.jokes
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
> On Apr 21, 2012, at 7:02 PM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>
> > Barry recently examined the following saying and presented two initial
> > matches with Google Books (GB) dates of 1984.
> >=20
> > Liquor in front, poker in rear (bar sign)
> >=20
> > =
> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/liquor_in_front_po=
> ker_in_rear_bar_sign/
> >=20
> > The two links into GB for the 1984 cites now say "did not match any
> > documents." But I am sure the links worked when Barry created the
> > entry on April 1. Sometimes GB matches within books disappear because
> > of problems with the GB database. (I recommend that researchers take
> > screenshots to store information about page numbers and snippets for
> > personal records.)
> >=20
> > Here is match with a date of GB of 1980. Based on the volume numbers
> > the match is probably in 1980 or 1981, but I have not verified it on
> > paper. The wording is slightly different: "Liquor up front. Poker in
> > the rear." The cite also gives a precise location for the sign:
> > Stockman's Casino - Missoula, Montana.
> >=20
> > Title: California sociologist.
> > Author: California State University, Los Angeles.
> > Publisher: Los Angeles, California State University.
> > Volumes: 3-4
> > Year: Circa 1980-1981
> > (Unverified Google match; Data may be incorrect; Dates for volumes are
> > ok. Quote is visible in snippets. Date probes ok.)
> >=20
> > =
> http://books.google.com/books?id=3D1Zi0AAAAIAAJ&q=3D%22Poker+in%22#search_=
> anchor
> >=20
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > As with all status games, one also sees reverse snobbery where common
> > activities and obscure places are boasted of: "beer drinkers get more
> > head," "Four wheelers eat more bush," "Stockman's Casino - Missoula,
> > Montana - Liquor up front. Poker in the rear.
> > {End excerpt]
>
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