"go figure"

[Martin Kaminer]

Interesting to compare/contrast with the more recent "do the math".

On Sat, Sep 29, 2012 at 10:02 PM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "go figure"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The expression appears in an episode of _The Naked City_  titled "A
> Succession of Heatbeats." It aired on ABC-TV in 1960. (Just saw it on
> RetroTV):
>
>  "Two grand [left untouched] upstairs. Go figure."
>
> Modern usage looks like it's short for "(You) go figure it out [because it
> makes no sense to me]."
>
> JL
>
> On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 1:33 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: "go figure"
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Indeed. I put a mental comma after go, but left out the comma, not the
> > whole quote. I was going to strike it out in the final edit, but, of
> > course, forgot.
> >
> >      VS-)
> >
> > On 5/1/2012 12:10 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
> > > On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 12:08 AM, Victor Steinbok<aardvark66 at gmail.com>
> >  wrote:
> > >> Many of those intending to go
> > >> figure on killing two birds with one stone
> > > This one doesn't count. Go figure.
> > >
> > > --
> > > -Wilson
> >
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> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
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