[Ads-l] fu lion - 1913, foo dog - 1915, foo lion - 1918

[Laurence Horn]

Any relation to the protagonist of the shaggy dog story (or stories, in different incarnations) whose eventual punch line is, of course, "If the foo shits, wear it"?

LH

> On Feb 16, 2016, at 2:48 PM, Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Advertisement for the Oriental Importer, A. A. Vantine & Co., New York Tribune, April 5, 1912, page 5 (Chronicling America): 
> 
> "Imported from Vantine from the shores of the Inland Sea . . . Japanese Foo Dog images."
> 
>> Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2016 18:14:30 -0800
>> From: mail.barretts at GMAIL.COM
>> Subject: fu lion - 1913, foo dog - 1915, foo lion - 1918
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> 
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <mail.barretts at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      fu lion - 1913, foo dog - 1915, foo lion - 1918
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>> Wikipedia (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__en.wikipedia.org_wiki_Chinese-5Fguardian-5Flions&d=AwIFAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=LvAbRAUiuyIsPUulgTjqgHNZHI9cZDippDHx_IFgqbQ&s=BQ9eUaXYgw9qve-3tlbQsNbrpO5mb_huqulleiOocq0&e= ) =
>> provides a link to a paper on =E2=80=9Cfoo=E2=80=9D (not on the Oxford =
>> Dictionary site, though the word =E2=80=9Cfoo=E2=80=9D evidently is =
>> cited from Chaucer). The link is:
>> 
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.rfc-2Deditor.org_rfc_rfc3092.txt&d=AwIFAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=LvAbRAUiuyIsPUulgTjqgHNZHI9cZDippDHx_IFgqbQ&s=JeVI2pjzhfLqwsFl0D7nLG3PNH2Vj9SLZfm4q6fxoIw&e= 
>> 
>> Here are links to earliest citations I found on Google Books with =
>> summary information. All are Google-dated.
>> 
>> 1. fu lion - 1913 - https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_1TmKb3C&d=AwIFAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=LvAbRAUiuyIsPUulgTjqgHNZHI9cZDippDHx_IFgqbQ&s=FS4IJBF4a1ES6NvTVZQHlbnYqpsLJRRP3qHv1c6mCyg&e= 
>> 
>> [completely illegible to my eyes]
>> 
>> 2. foo dog - 1915 - https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_1PXMnfv&d=AwIFAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=LvAbRAUiuyIsPUulgTjqgHNZHI9cZDippDHx_IFgqbQ&s=2_zEfC6S-nAD9a0wGhXN0l8f-3Lu17lL5csReVl_jaA&e= 
>> 
>> The bat, the bird, the butterfly, the dragon, the kylin, the Food dog, =
>> the leopard, =E2=80=A6
>> 
>> 3. foo lion - 1918 - https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_20A8gTG&d=AwIFAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=LvAbRAUiuyIsPUulgTjqgHNZHI9cZDippDHx_IFgqbQ&s=5pr4GXy08P5W5hQigfXjUAdzNKHGHx2v21r5iiK8YMU&e= 
>> 
>> Sacred Foo Lion of Cloisonn=C3=A9=20
>> 
>> Benjamin Barrett
>> Formerly of Seattle, WA=
>> 
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> 		 	   		  
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> The American Dialect Society - https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.americandialect.org&d=AwIFAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=LvAbRAUiuyIsPUulgTjqgHNZHI9cZDippDHx_IFgqbQ&s=SKjz_UAXiWuSMZ9fL9OopBrBEufVGv2TRGCduZcpt8c&e= 

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