[Ads-l] antedating "cloud nine" "cloud seven"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Outstanding as usual, G. And thanks.

It's surprising that the earliest Cloud 8 is from Brooklyn, but the first
cluster of 9's is from San Francisco.

JL


On Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 6:51 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Congratulations on your wonderful HDAS efforts, JL.
>
> Following your lead I searched for "cloud eight" and "cloud number
> eight". Below is a pertinent match in 1929. The excerpt below concerns
> Mel who was playing a card game. He believed that he had a very good
> hand, and he had made a large wager. The phrase "Mel was up in Cloud
> Eight" apparently meant Mel is elated. The ellipses are in the
> original text.
>
> Date: October 7, 1929
> Newspaper: The Standard Union
> Newspaper Location: Brooklyn, New York
> Article: All Around Town
> Author: Jack Hoins
> Quote Page 8, Column 3
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Charlie Sands, Conk, Sammy Hart, Sam Rubenstein and Harry Feeney were
> in it with Mel. Sands dealt and Mel got four nines on the deal. Harry
> Feeney tossed his hand in and started to "kibitz" with Mel. He told
> the old guy to stand pat . . . bluff.
>
> Then Harry advised Mel to raise the bet two or three times around ...
> it got big and Mel was up in Cloud Eight ...
> [End excerpt]
>
> Below are three more matches for "cloud number eight" and "cloud eight".
>
> Date: September 19, 1936
> Newspaper: The San Francisco Examiner
> Newspaper Location: San Francisco, California
> Article: Success Story: Baritone Former Business Man
> Author: Darrell Donnell
> Quote Page 11, Column 3
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> He achieved the not mean feat of nursing all of these corporations
> through the depression.
> You can't nurse a pump company through a depression and have your head
> up in cloud number eight
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> Date: November 25, 1937
> Newspaper: The San Francisco Examiner
> Newspaper Location: San Francisco, California
> Article: 'Good News' Program May Prove Bad News
> Author: Darrell Donnell
> Section II, Quote Page 3, Column 5
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> From the East next Sunday comes Columbia's first serious bid to steal
> audience from the Don Ameche, Edgar Bergen-Nelson Eddy Sunday show
> which is away up near Cloud Number Eight in the Crossley ratings.
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> Date: November 29, 1937
> Newspaper: The San Francisco Examiner
> Newspaper Location: San Francisco, California
> Article: Shaw Aids Bronc Win Via Sickbed To Field Phone
> Quote Page 21, Column 1
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> All the Broncs came out of the game in good shape. A few of them were
> discussing points of the game. . . . Karamatic was given honorable
> mention . . . but, for the most part, their heads were up in "cloud
> eight" with thoughts about a long train ride.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Thu, Nov 12, 2020 at 5:18 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Like everybody else, I failed to check HDAS, which includes the following
> > in abbr. form:
> >
> > 1935 Albin J. Pollock _The Underworld Speaks_  (S.F.: Prevent Crime
> Bureau)
> > s.v.: _Cloud eight_, befuddled on account of drinking too much liquor.
> >
> > Also San Francisco. I see a pattern.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Thu, Nov 12, 2020 at 4:52 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> wrote:
> >
> > > In an article in the Yale Alumni Magazine and coverage in the New York
> > > Times, I have posited a phenomenon of "numerical phrase inflation,"
> where
> > > phrases like "whole six yards" or "cloud seven" in time get inflated
> up to
> > > the number nine.
> > >
> > > Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


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