[Ads-l] Polly want a cracker?

[Jonathan Lighter]

On Sat, Mar 16, 2019 at 1:51 PM Mark Mandel <mark.a.mandel at gmail.com> wrote:

> This thread instantly brought to my mind an advertising jingle I must not
> have heard since the fifties:
>
> Poll Parrot, Poll Parrot,
> The shoes you want to buy.
> They make your feet run faster,
> As fast as I can fly.
>
> https://youtu.be/q0Ac0sC_CTA
> 1950s animated commercial
>
> Mark Mandel, never a wearer AFAIR
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 8:10 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > "Poll parrot" was the normal unisex nominal used by my NYC grandparents
> as
> > well, at least for the domesticated talking kind. My wife agrees that a
> > wild parrot would not be a likely referent for "poll parrot."
> >
> > OED: 1768 (with "Poll" as a psittacine Christian name from 1600).
> >
> > JL
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 13, 2019 at 5:12 PM Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > > a Poll Parrot
> > >
> > > The usual term for _a parrot_ amongst the colored people of my day. My
> > > boojie analysis of it as a "mistake" based on a mispronunciation of
> > "Polly
> > > Parrot" clearly was an error.
> > >
> > > Youneverknow.
> > >
> > > On Sun, Mar 10, 2019 at 10:02 PM Jonathan Lighter <
> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > A key parrot phrase. The original "cracker" seems to have been a
> > sailor's
> > > > "hard cracker" (hardtack biscuit), and the phrase is evidently an
> > > > Americanism:
> > > >
> > > > 1849 _Knickerbocker_ (Dec.) 544: For sale, a Poll Parrot, cheap. He
> > says
> > > a
> > > > remarkable variety of words and phrases, cries 'Fire! fire!' and 'You
> > > > rascal!' and 'Polly want a cracker;' and would not be parted with,
> but,
> > > > having been brought up with a sea-captain he is profane, and swears
> too
> > > > much for the subscriber, being a pious man, and having children in
> the
> > > > family, to whom his example is bad.
> > > >
> > > > 1852 [L. Lermont] _Aunt Patty's Mirror_ (Auburn, N.Y.:  Alden,
> > > Beardsley, &
> > > > Co.) 144  Common parrots...never in their education get beyond "Poll
> > > wants
> > > > a cracker!" and "Poll wants to get out!"
> > > >
> > > > 1855 _Daily Cleveland [O.] Herald (Sept. 6) 1:  With no more apparent
> > > > unction than a parrot would repeat "pretty Polly want a cracker."
> > > >
> > > > 1858_Weekly Ottumwa [Ia.]  Courier_  (March 18) 3: Polly want a
> > cracker?
> > > >
> > > > 1858 _Weekly Hawk-Eye_ (Burlington, Ia.) (Aug. 31) 3: Polly wants a
> > > > cracker!
> > > >
> > > > 1864 _Urbana [O.] Union_ (Dec. 7) 1: The parrot turned her head, and
> > > > looking at me sharply, said rapidly: ... "Pretty Poll, pretty Poll,
> > poor
> > > > Poll, Polly wants a cracker!"
> > > >
> > > > 1866 _New-Orleans Times_  (May 22) (Suppl.) 2: We give the following
> > > advice
> > > > to our contributors: "P.Q."-- Mind your p's and q's. ... "R.G."
> [i.e.,
> > > > "rotgut"] -- Not any more, thank you. ... Polly--Polly want a
> cracker?
> > > >
> > > > 1888 _Aberdeen [Scot.] Weekly Journal_ (Apr. 21) [unp.]: Dealer...(to
> > > > parrot): "Polly want a cracker?" Polly (solemnly)--Let her go,
> > > Gallegher."
> > > >
> > > > 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
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > -Wilson
> > > -----
> > > All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
> > > come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> > > -Mark Twain
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > 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
>


-- 
"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