"right back at you"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Looks like it began before 1932.
But seriously. This ex. is decades earlier than any other I've seen.

JL

On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 11:56 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      "right back at you"
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>
> Watching "Guilty Hands", a 1931 movie with a "perfect crime" theme shown
> on TCM, I was wondering about an exchange between the Richard Grant, the
> murderer (and former D.A.), played by John Barrymore, and the chief of
> police (an old colleague of his) whom he welcomes to his house, where the
> murder has just taken place.  Grant/Barrymore, coming down the stairs,
> cheerfully greets him:
>
> Richard Grant: "Well, well, well, Bill Mott!"
> Bill Mott:        "Right back atcha, Dickie!"
>
> I didn't realize this use of "Right back at you" (or "atcha", with allegro
> palatalization) was around in 1931.  Anyone know when it began?
>
> LH
>
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