Antedatings of "everything but the kitchen sink [or stove]"

Tue Oct 22 12:17:41 UTC 2013

"Everything but the kitchen sink" and similar phrases, OED has 1948.

"Everything but the kitchen stove" can be found back to 1913 and appears more common in the 1910s than "kitchen sink" from 1914. I found just three sinks in Chronicling America compared to some 17 stoves.

Chronicling America only goes up to 1922. Trove and Papers Past show both variants were used in Australia and New Zealand before WWII, and both were also in the Manchester Guardian in the 1930s.

Here's three of each.

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EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN STOVE

The evening world., November 17, 1913, Final Edition, Image 3:

[Begin]
All of which is prefatory to saying that the Horse Show is just about the most distinguished assemblage of well-dressed people that these United States can produce. Of course some of the women have oneverything but the kitchen stove (this is being written by a man) and some of the men bat less than .003 when It comes to a coat or a waistcoat but, as a gathering of thousands, the Horse Show sessions afford one an opportunity to see not only the last cry but the very best taste in personal adornment, masculine and feminine.
[End]

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1913-11-17/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1836&sort=date&date2=1922&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=1&words=everything+kitchen+stove&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=everything+but+the+kitchen+stove&phrasetext=everything+but+the+kitchen+stove&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

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The Washington times., June 19, 1914, HOME EDITION, Image 3 by Florence E. Yoder:

[Begin]
He completely lost his head in the sixteenth century, and wore everything but the kitchen stove, and today--yes, long suffering women, rejoice--today he promises to array himself once more in those colors which stamp him unmistakably and irrevocably as the VAIN MALE.
[End]

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1914-06-19/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1836&sort=date&date2=1922&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=2&words=everything+kitchen+stove&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=everything+but+the+kitchen+stove&phrasetext=everything+but+the+kitchen+stove&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

---

The sun., October 18, 1916, Page 13, Image 13, boxing headline:

[Begin]
DILLON UNABLE TO DROP TIM O'NEILL
Hits Him With Everything Except Kitchen Stove, but Celt Lasts Limit.
[End]

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1916-10-18/ed-1/seq-13/#date1=1836&sort=date&date2=1922&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=3&words=Everything+Kitchen+Stove&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=everything+but+the+kitchen+stove&phrasetext=everything+but+the+kitchen+stove&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

---

EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK

The Washington times., February 20, 1914, Last and Home Edition, Page 7, Image 7, "Jerry Foley is Real Hard-Luck Champion":

[Begin]
Having "blown in" his savings on a complete new set of scenery, Jerry was logged out this day like a circus horse. He had on everything but the kitchen sink and the door mat.
[End]

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1914-02-20/ed-1/seq-7/#words=everything+sink+kitchen&date1=1836&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&proxdistance=5&date2=1922&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Everything+but+the+kitchen+sink&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=1

---

New-York tribune., February 19, 1919, Page 5, Image 5, advert for Macy's:

[Begin]
Pots and Pans!
To say nothing of rolling pins, clothes baskets, wash boilers, percolators, casseroles, I towel bars, cloth ventilators, china, cut glass, earthenware -- well, in fact everything but the kitchen sink is included in this
[End]

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1919-02-19/ed-1/seq-5/#words=everything+sink+kitchen&date1=1836&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&proxdistance=5&date2=1922&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Everything+but+the+kitchen+sink&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=0

(I just noticed Barry Popik posted this one in 2003.)

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New-York tribune., August 27, 1922, Page 2, Image 62, "Better Late Than Never" by W.E. Hill:

[Begin]
"Well, peoples, the first hundred years is the hardest, they say! We should worry." Howell
is the original comic boy. Just LISTEN to him! Pretty soon he will be saying that Mrs.
So-and-So had "everything on but the kitchen sink." Maybe you've guessed it by this time.
Yes, Howell is one of those unfortunate jokers who never quite catch up with the current
gibe and jest. Two years from now Howell will probably be talking on "Mad Money" and
"Finale Hopper."

This suggests the phrase was already considered old hat by then, and it was at least 10 years old and had even been used in a Macy's ad.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1922-08-27/ed-1/seq-62/#date1=1836&sort=date&date2=1922&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=16&words=everything+kitchen+sink&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=everything+the+kitchen+sink&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

---

Hugo

> Date:    Thu, 17 Oct 2013 08:23:19 -0400
> From:    Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Trench Journals and Unit Magazines of the First World War
>
> Of the items suggested by Hugo, I prophesy that these will *not* be
> antedated from the 1914-18 papers:
>
> shit hits the fan
> out of left field
> egg in your beer
> SNAFU
> skinny
> FUBAR
> klick
> bimble
>
> I have a 1942 "kitchen sink." I doubt that it can be found in print much
> earlier.
>
> The best bets are "cootie" and "oojah." (The latter is British only.)
>
> In spite of an ad hoc ex. from the Civil War, "the brass" is poorly
> documented before WWII. There's no linguistic reason why it shouldn't have
> existed in WW1 (because of the long established "brass hat.")
>
> "Clobber" in the US sense offers a remote possibility.
>
> Of course, *any* item with a known primary date before 1930 or so is a
> candidate.
>
> "Klick" in particular (originally spelled "click") seems not to have
> existed before the 1960s.

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