[Ads-l] Polly want a cracker?

[Jonathan Lighter]

I remember the brand but not the ad.

N.B., "Poll" is assumed to be male: "as fast as he can fly."

JL

On Sat, Mar 16, 2019 at 4:11 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> 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."
>


-- 
"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