- "The Cliff-Hanger", episode 4

[Joel S. Berson]

Today, in episode 4, Peter cites (by implication) his source:

Jenny: "What's the earliest documented case of the word 'cliffhanger'
appearing in print?"
Gina: "I...um...it..."
Nate:  "That's a wrap, folks!"  [Gina loses the Fact Town Smackdown.]
Peter:  "The Ewardshville Intelligencer, March 1936!"

http://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2014/03/19

I have informed cartoonist Lincoln Peirce that there is a 1931
quotation, not yet in the OED.

Joel

At 3/18/2014 02:47 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>Today I've been thrown off the cliff without a net (or balloon rope).
>
>Peter:  "The word 'cliffhanger' was inshpired by sherial filmsh in
>the early daysh of moviesh, like 'The Perilsh of Pauline' and 'The
>Hazardsh of Helen'! The heroine would shometimesh be LITERALLY
>hanging off a cliff at the end of an epishode! And eventually
>'cliffhanger' became part of the language!"
>
>So Lincoln Peirce too associates "clifhanger" with "Pauline" ... but
>Peter does not cite his sources.
>
>http://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2014/03/18#.UyiL_M5N2z4
>
>In the comments there are some on the OED.  And for your
>consideration, a new theory:
>
>"The term "cliffhanger" actually originated in the late 1800's, as a
>result of the serialization of "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.
>At the end of each chapter, Earnshaw, Catherine's father, becomes
>exasperated with Heathcliff and threatens to hang him from the
>nearest tree if he doesn't straighten up. Heathcliff, young rascal
>that he is, simply moves on to the next scrape involving drugs,
>music, petty crime and pre-marital sexcapades, further enraging
>Earnshaw. The reason the term "cliffhanger" is associated with films
>is that the most popular early filmization of "Wuthering Heights" was
>the Laurel & Hardy version, featuring Laurel as Heathcliff, James
>Finlayson as Earnshaw, and Hardy as the stunned servant, Thrushcross."
>
>Joel
>
>At 3/17/2014 10:22 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>>Sorry, I sent the link to Saturday's strip.  Here's today's:
>>http://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2014/03/17#.UycE6s5N2z4
>>
>>JSB
>>
>>Saturday the storyteller left me hanging by posing the question, and
>>concluding with the lines
>>
>>"What will happen NEXT?"
>>"Oh, that'sh sho EASHY!".
>>
>>Today Gina struggles to answer the question ("What caused the word to
>>be invented in the first place?"), and episode 2 ends with:
>>
>>"Is that DOUBT I see?"
>>"I don't think she knows!"
>>"Oh, for heaven'sh shake! *I* know!"
>>
>>Cartoonist Lincoln Peirce is playing mind games with me.  How long,
>>oh Lord, how long will I have to wait??
>>http://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2014/03/15#.UycCXs5N2z5
>>
>>Joel
>>
>>
>>At 3/16/2014 02:43 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>>>My inability to prove that the origin of "cliff-hanger" lies in "The
>>>Perils of Pauline" will be resolved, I believe, on Monday March 17,
>>>when Gina answers the next question in the "Fact Town Smackdown",
>>>namely "What is the origin of the word 'cliffhanger'?"
>>>
>>>See "Big Nate" for Saturday March 15, at
>>>http://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2014/03/15#.UyXvd85N2z4
>>>
>>>(Somebody's been watching ADS-L.)
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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