[Ads-l] "Nothing Tastes as Good" Quote

[Neal Whitman]

This is also an early example of Adj-to-Noun conversion of the type that 
we've discussed here. "As good as thin feels," not "as good as thinness 
feels."

Neal


On 5/6/2017 12:15 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> Barry Popik has the earliest citation dated February 01, 1984. Barry
> shows one excerpt, but the phrase appears twice in the article. Below
> are some details (double check for errors).
>
> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/nothing_tastes_as_good_as_skinny_feels
>
> Date: February 01, 1984
> Newspaper: The Marietta Daily Journal
> Newspaper Location: Marietta, Georgia
> Article: Cobb Weight Watchers Hope To See Less Of Each Other
> Author: Faith Hills (Marietta Daily Journal Food Editor)
> Quote Page 4C, Column 2 and 5
> Database: GenealogyBank
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> 'It’s not the food that made you fat; it’s the habits,' says Diane
> Thomas (R), a leader of Weight Watchers classes at New London Square
> and Merchants Walk shopping centers. 'Nothing tastes as good as thin
> feels.'
> [End excerpt]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> The attractive teacher then passed out gum to each participant and
> counseled, "Save this until you're in the kitchen fixing dinner
> tomorrow. Pop this in your mouth to keep from sampling."
> "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels," Diane observed.
> [End excerpt]
>
> A year earlier a precursor slogan appeared: "Nothing tastes as good as
> abstinence feels". I can see a few matches in 1983 for this
> expression, but the goal-oriented keyword "thin" was more compelling
> and memorable.
>
> Date: January 2, 1983
> Newspaper Location: Cocoa, Florida
> Newspaper: Florida Today
> Article: Thin is still very in (continuation of article)
> Quote Page 6E
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> One dieter who lost more than 100 pounds said her weight loss turned
> her life around,
> After she shed the unwanted pounds, she started taking better care of
> herself and her family.
> Food no longer ruled her life, and eating was no longer her greatest joy.
> "I feel in control of my life now. Nothing tastes as good as
> abstinence feels," she said.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Sat, May 6, 2017 at 11:02 AM, Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>> Charles Doyle, in private correspondence, has indicated to me that the saying "Nothing tastes as good as (being) skinny (thin) feels (looks)" dates back to the early 1990s.  Can Charlie or anyone else point me to the earliest findable occurrences of this quotation?
>>
>>
>> Fred Shapiro
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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