[Ads-l] years young

[Jonathan Lighter]

These are all great finds.

Frequency info at Newspapers.com (in all contexts, however) leads me to
suspect that the phrase became a newspaper cliche' only after 1900..


JL

On Thu, Sep 3, 2020 at 10:46 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> "Charcoal Sketches: Second Series" appeared in 1848. (My previous
> message pointed to the 1850 edition of the book.)
>
> But there is earlier evidence for the template. Here is an 1843
> citation for "fifty years—young" with the pertinent sense.
>
> Year: 1843
> Title: Jack's Edition of Life At Sea; Or, The Jervian System in 183__:
> Being a Series of Letters by an Old Irish Captain of the Head to His Nephew
> Publisher: Samuel J. Machen, Dublin, Ireland
> Letter XXIII
> Start Page 222, Quote Page 233
>
> https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nnc1.cu58506896
> https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nnc1.cu58506896?urlappend=%3Bseq=251
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> The chief of the party, who was the abbot or
> superior, was the finest and handsomest man that I
> think I ever saw, of rather more than the average
> stature, and proportionately stout was he, of about
> fifty years—young, for I can hardly say old, as he
> carried their weight so well, and seemed so little the
> worse for wear. The few remaining hairs on his head
> were white as snow, and added greatly to the vener-
> able appearance of a most benevolent countenance;
> whilst from his chin depended, as low as the hempen
> girdle which encircled his waist, a beard partially gray,
> and slightly grizzled.
> [End excerpt]
>
> On Thu, Sep 3, 2020 at 10:03 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Below is a fascinating 1850 citation containing the phrase "fifty
> > years young". The author bemoans the celebration of aging. He also
> > presents a fantastical reverse-aging framework to justify the
> > anomalous phrase.
> >
> > Is this the origin of the "years young" template? I do not know. More
> > evidence is required.
> >
> > This sense of "fifty years young" might be considered conventional or
> > literal within the reverse-aging framework, so this use differs a bit
> > from the other citations.
> >
> > Year: 1850
> > Title: Charcoal Sketches: Second Series
> > Author: The Late Joseph C. Neal (Joseph Clay Neal)
> > Editor: Mrs. J. C. Neal
> > Publisher: Stringer & Townsend, New York
> > Chapter: The Merry Christmas and the Happy New Year of Mr. Dunn Brown
> > Start Page 180, Quote Page 184
> >
> > {Begin excerpt]
> > "Your birthday, Mr. Dunn Brown--is it not? How old,
> > Mr. Dunn Brown?"
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


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