"What's not to love?"

[Laurence Horn]

Interesting.  I kept thinking it sounded like a Yiddishism, and Max Shulman (of Dobie Gillis fame) would indeed qualify as a likely conduit.  His Wikipage doesn't tell us that he was Jewish, but with a name like Max Shulman… 

I did learn from the Wikipedia page that Martha Rose Shulman, purveyor of vegetarian food columns in the Times, is Max's daughter, so that's something.

LH

On Sep 29, 2014, at 3:05 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:

> Apparently "What's not to love?" was in a high-profile 1957 book.
> 
> Year: 1957
> Title: Rally Round The Flag, Boys!
> Author: Max Shulman
> Page 8 and 9 (according to GB)
> Database: Google Books snippet unverified
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> Here, obviously, was a
> girl of passion and fire. Now it remained to find out
> just what it was she was passionate and fiery about.
> "I'm not quite sure I follow you," he said.
> "Do you love children?"
> "What's not to love?"
> "Exactly. How can you help loveing those sweet,
> innocent little things, so full of trust and affection,...
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Garson
> 
> On Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 2:50 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Here's a 1965 cite for "what's not to love?" (I only looked in
>> GenealogyBank and GB.)
>> 
>> Date: November 21, 1965
>> Newspaper: Evening Star
>> Article: Glowing Exhibition at Phillips Now
>> Author: Frank Getlein (Art Critic of The Star)
>> Newspaper Location: Washington (DC), District of Columbia
>> Quote Page: D3, Column: 1
>> Database: GenealogyBank
>> 
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Paris Paintings
>> 
>> This is precisely how Loren
>> MacIver paints her pictures.
>> 
>> Take the city of Paris.
>> Sizzling or dizzling, what's not
>> to love? Here is how MacIver
>> loves it:
>> [End excerpt]
>> 
>> On Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 2:14 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
>> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      Re: "What's not to love?"
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> 
>>> The Phrase Finder website has an entry for the expressions:
>>> 
>>> What's not to like?
>>> What's not to love?
>>> http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/whats-not-to-like.html
>>> 
>>> "So what's not to like?" appeared in The Dunkirk Evening Observer in
>>> September 1963 according to the website. The VW advertising campaign
>>> of 1974 was also pointed to for the phrase "what's not to love".
>>> 
>>> Garson
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 12:48 PM, Jonathan Lighter
>>> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>>> Subject:      Re: "What's not to love?"
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> 
>>>> 1974 _Mobile Register_ (July 21) 95  [NewsBank]: The Love Bug [Volkswagen].
>>>> At a special, low $2499; what's not to love?
>>>> 
>>>> 1980 _Seattle Daily Times_ (Feb. 14) 71: What's not to love about a
>>>> catatonic schizophrenic?
>>>> 
>>>> JL
>>>> 
>>>> On Sun, Apr 29, 2012 at 8:11 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>> -----------------------
>>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>>>> Subject:      "What's not to love?"
>>>>> 
>>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> 
>>>>> Another advertising cliche'. GB alleges an ex. in 1965, but I'm skeptical.
>>>>> Maybe 1975 or later.
>>>>> 
>>>>> JL
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>>>> 
>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>>> 
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>> 
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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