[Ads-l] Antedating of "What's Up, Doc?"

[Jonathan Lighter]

"What's up?" antedates 1850 in both Britain and America.

Just sayin'.

JL

On Sun, May 8, 2022 at 7:29 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:

> Thanks for setting me straight, Ben.  I did do some searching to see if
> Capt. Persinger could have been a medical doctor, but I didn't think to
> check whether "Doc" was a nickname specific to him.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Ben
> Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, May 8, 2022 2:56 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Antedating of "What's Up, Doc?"
>
> "Doc" indeed was a known nickname for Capt. Persinger, as noted in this
> item from the Staunton (Va.) Spectator from Dec. 1872.
>
>
> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Fclip%2F2218331%2F1872-dec-george-persinger-also%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7Cf4682525e20447ac6a1a08da312483ae%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637876330305957786%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=o0ULgFsT4VcoyPElw%2BW2OzRmVVu%2BSfZpOaa5xF1wdrI%3D&reserved=0
>
> On Sun, May 8, 2022 at 2:45 PM Mark Mandel <markamandel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > But then why "'Doc'", in its own single-quote marks? Unless it was a
> known
> > nickname of his, for whatever reason. MAM
> >
> > On Sun, May 8, 2022, 12:10 PM Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > > What's up, 'Doc' ?
> > >
> > > Given that _Doc_ is separated from the rest of the phrase by quotes,
> > could
> > > not this also be taken as an early example of simple _What's up?_ as a
> > > greeting/(rhetorical) question/catch-phrase or some other shxt like
> 'at?
> > >
> > > On Sun, May 8, 2022 at 10:45 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > The March 2022 release of new words in the OED spotlights "what's up,
> > > > doc?," with a first use of 1935.  Here is an earlier citation.  There
> > is
> > > no
> > > > reason to believe that Persinger was a doctor.
> > > >
> > > > 1882 _Staunton_ (Va.) _Spectator_ 5 Sept. 3/1 (Newspapers.com)  The
> > > > Alleghany _Tribune_ has this paragraph: "A beautiful black-eyed
> > Staunton
> > > > lady's presence in Clifton Forge is surmised to be the reason of
> Capt.
> > > > Persinger's absence from the Cave at this particular juncture. At all
> > > > events the smiles of joy that adorned his face evidenced that he was
> > > > peculiarly satisfied with himself and the rest of mankind on this
> > > > particular visit. What's up, 'Doc' ?"
> >
> >
>
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