[Ads-l] money shot

[Ben Zimmer]

Here's that 1977 cite, as found in OED3 (Sept. 2002 draft entry):

1977  S. Ziplow _Filmmaker's Guide to Pornography_ 34  There are those who
believe that the come shot, or, as some refer to it, the ‘money shot’, is
the most important element in the movie.

(The earliest OED3 has for the sporting sense is from 1928, seven years
later than JL's antedating upthread.)


On Tue, Jul 28, 2020 at 3:03 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Yes.
>
> JL
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 28, 2020 at 2:53 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > I would think that the 1989 cite from the L.A. Times included in the HDAS
> > entry (s.v. “money shot”, adj., 2) for the narrowed meaning relating to
> > umfilms and videos of a certain character might be antedatable.  Or is
> that
> > the 1977 “derivative sense” you mention (but don’t illustrate below)?
> >
> > LH
> >
> > > On Jul 28, 2020, at 10:21 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
> >
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > HDAS found a derivative sense from 1977.  The basic sense seems to be
> "a
> > > shot (in any sense) likely or deserving of bringing in money."
> > >
> > > A winning or exceptionally accurate golf shot:
> > >
> > > 1921 _Evening Public Ledger_ (Phila._  (Feb. 8) 16: Miller got home
> with a
> > > screaming iron, the best shot of the day." ... "That is a money shot,"
> > > explained Maxwell...."Right in the bank."
> > >
> > > 1960 _Progress-Bulletin_ (Pomona, Calif.) (Jan. 10) III 1: [Caption:]
> MONTI
> > > "MONEY SHOT" - Eric Monti of Los Angeles rifles an iron shot out of the
> > > rough on the first hole Saturday in the L.A. Open.  The ball
> stopped three
> > > feet from the cup but his putt for a birdie refused to drop.
> > >
> > > 1960 _Salt Lake Tribune_ (Sept. 13) 16: Billy climaxed his
> tremendous round
> > > with a great eagle on No. 18. This was the money shot. It meant $2,800
> to
> > > the Provo pro.
> > >
> > > "A chance to make much money, as in a boxing match":
> > >
> > > 1940 _Cumberland [Md.] News_ (Jan. 24) 13: He never won a fight in this
> > > country, but I got him a couple of great money shots just like he was a
> > > winner.
> > >
> > > 1960 _Press-Democrat_ (Santa Rosa, Calif.) (March 11)  13: Gonsalves
> > > retired after a recent loss to Paolo Rossi, but announced later he was
> > > always available for "money shots."
> > >
> > > It's hard to look for because of the preponderance of "an
> even-money shot"
> > > (a fifty-fifty bet or chance) and "big money shot" (a chance for
> big money).
>

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