NYTimes -- repeating myths?

[Baker, John]

"Kick the bucket" seems to be British in origin.  Google Books has "go on a bender" from 1844, in a story in The Ladies' Companion (antedating the OED, which has it from 1846).  The story is set in New York, so a Bowery origin is certainly possible (although the meaning likely derives from an older Scots meaning of bender, "a hard drinker").  The earliest use of "so long" in the OED is from an 1865 Australian work, which would not seem to support a Bowery origin.


John Baker




-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Dan Goncharoff
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 7:02 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: NYTimes -- repeating myths?

Noticed this today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/nyregion/on-the-bowery-vestiges-of-a-seedy-past-seep-through.html<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/nyregion/on-the-bowery-vestiges-of-a-seedy-past-seep-through.html?nl=nyregion&emc=edit_ur_20130418>

Beyond physical sites, the historic Bowery survives in popular culture,
including phrases believed to have originated there like "kick the bucket,"
"going on a bender" and "so long."

Am I right that it is wrong to attribute these phrases to the Bowery?

DanG

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

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