cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs

[Jonathan Lighter]

Joel, there are actual grownups who cannot remember a time before the 1980s.

I was about to say, "I pity them," but I think I pity me more.

JL

On Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 2:59 PM, 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: cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I had assumed this was well known, so no reference would be needed. But,
> for the sake of completion:
>
> 1960s
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uVP1Uy5tL0
>
> 1970s
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF3m-ZuF1lQ
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3q-zwvqBq8
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n28iAlszTg8
>
> 1980s
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1CBftRW0F8
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWyfE4VZiUY
>
> 1990s
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxqQ62rvWqc
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6E2K88MnoM
>
> The bird's name is Sonny.
>
>      VS-)
>
> On 8/25/2012 2:34 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> > This comes from the commercial (of the '80s, I'm told).  That cuckoo
> > was certainly "crazily enthusiastic"; he/she can be seen in
> > YouTube.  So not purely an alliterative origin; alien archaeologists
> > 20 years from now will certainly know what it means and be able to
> > trace its source.
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 8/25/2012 01:14 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >> I heard somebody else use this phrase on CNN in the past week (as a
> synonym
> >> for "crazy" or "crazily enthusiastic").
> >>
> >> JL
> >> On Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:55 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
> >>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>> In 20 years,  will anyone know what this means?
> >>>
> >>> "That in itself speaks volumes about the cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs essence
> >>> of the contemporary GOP."
> >>>
> >>> Or will we be analyzing it as some sort of alliterative iteration?
> >>>
> >>>       VS-)
> >>>
> >>> PS: If anyone cares about the origin, that's Kathleen Geier, subbing on
> >>> weekends at the Washington Monthly blog.
>
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>



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