[Ads-l] fiftyburger

[Laurence Horn]

Interesting.  I associated Helen Gurley Brown with her self-description as a “mouseburger”, but apparently she used (coined or popularized?) “nothingburger” as well; wonder if one of the terms grew out of the other, or if they’re referentially distinct—can one be a mouseburger without being a nothingburger or vice versa?  Of course either of these *could* also be literal—either a very unappealing menu option or a very unfilling one (especially for those on an Atkins diet).  

LH


> On Jan 23, 2017, at 12:37 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Possibly inspired by "nothingburger"?
> 
> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/nothing_burger
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2013-January/124713.html
> 
> "Forty-burger" was used in a football context in Season 1, Episode 4 of
> "The League" ("Mr. McGibblets," aired Nov. 19, 2009):
> 
> "And all of a sudden, this guy comes out of nowhere... scores four
> touchdowns, gains 200 yards. Drops a 40 burger on me."
> http://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=417&t=20508
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 12:14 PM, MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY
> RDECOM AMRDEC (US) <william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> 
>> New to me.  The earliest I find it is from a wire service feed:
>> 
>> McClatchy - Tribune News Service; 18 Sep 2009 (from Proquest)
>> "If he does more of the same Saturday away from home -- and if Cal puts
>> another fifty-burger on the scoreboard -- then it's on."
>> 
>> Here it is from a Washington Post blog:
>> " But after serving up a fiftyburger to the Washington Wizards on
>> Wednesday night, Stephen Curry seemed surprised and chilled when Draymond
>> Green sneaked up behind him for the celebratory dousing."
>> https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/02/
>> 04/stephen-curry-gets-a-water-bath-draymond-green-makes-
>> photobomb-magic/?utm_term=.d64538ea29c3
>> 
>> 
>> _Chicago Tribune_ 15 Nov 2016: p. 2.
>> " Trestman pretty much doomed himself when his team gave up a fiftyburger
>> to the Patriots, then got a week off to regroup and came out of it by
>> allowing the Packers to pound them with another fiftyburger."
>> 
>> In all three of these, it refers to fifty points, rather than the fifty
>> yard line.
>> 
>> 
>>> 
>>> I was listening to a radio show about football on 610 AM (I believe the
>> call letters are WTEL) from Philadelphia this afternoon.  The show
>>> kept identifying itself as "ESPN radio" and if it gave call letters I
>> did not catch them (I was driving in the rain and had poor AM reception on
>>> my car radio).  There were at least two men and one woman talking; if I
>> heard correctly one of them was named "Doug Brown".  I do not
>>> know if the show originated in Philadelphia or was originated by ESPN
>> for national distribution.
>>> 
>>> Several times the announcers referred to a football fifty-plus yard
>> field goal as a "fiftyburger".  I think there was also a reference to a
>>> "fortyburger".
>>> 
>>> This is a new term to me.  Is anyone else familiar with it?
>>> 
>> 
> 
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