[Ads-l] proleptic "toast"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

[Excerpt from Ben Zimmer]
. . . the movie line ("This bitch is toast")
[End excerpt from Ben Zimmer]

A review in June 1984 stated that the movie line was "This chick is
toast". The "chick" version of the line was presented in your original
post, Ben. Does the "bitch" version occur in the home-video release of
the film?

Date: June 8, 1984
Newspaper: The Buffalo News
Newspaper Location: Buffalo, New York
Article: REVIEW: MOVIE "Ghostbusters" is willing, but the spirit is weak
Author: Jeff Simon (News Critic)
Quote Page 30, Column 2
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
What Murray has done has polished up an attitude to perfection. He is
the epitome of anti-social doughface cool. He's a born leader for
self-possessed, smut-minded, pub-crawlers everywhere. When he and the
boys get zapped by the ultimate demon in the guise of a Manhattan
she-punk, Murray gets up off the ground, points his laser at her and
says "this chick is toast." It's funny and it's all attitude.
[End excerpt]

Sigourney Weaver was one of the stars of Ghostbusters I and II and she
referred to the cultural resonance of the line "This chick is toast"
during an interview in 1989.

Date: July 6, 1989
Newspaper: The Stanford Weekly
Newspaper Location: Stanford University in Stanford, California
Article: Sigourney II: On gender and ghosts
Author:  Susan McKean (Editorial staff)
Quote Page 11, Column 5
Database: The Stanford Daily Archives (via Elephind)

[Begin excerpt]
"I've been noticing how all the under-5-year-olds have all become
Ghostbusters, especially the little boys. I haven't seen too many
little girls running around with proton packs, which is too bad. I've
certainly seen a lot of little boys running around.

"That's one area where I think film has been very powerful, among a
certain age group. And I don't think anyone quite understands why.

"I mean, why would Bill Murray appeal to these little post-toddlers?
He's very hip, and sort of dark and anti-authority and these little
guys are running around saying "This chick is toast."
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Jun 21, 2023 at 3:48 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I mentioned the movie's release date in my original post. It's notable that
> the two earliest non-"Ghostbusters" examples found so far -- Bill's from
> the SF Chronicle and mine from the Kansas State Collegian -- both appeared
> in Sept. '84 when the movie was very much on people's minds. (It was still
> the top film at the box office that month.)
>
> I checked out the Chronicle cite Bill found, and it describes a Silicon
> Valley rally for Reagan's reelection campaign. In addition to the
> similarity of "Fritz [Mondale] is toast" to the movie line ("This bitch is
> toast"), the article notes that the rally was attended by "hundreds of
> teenagers wearing 'Fritzbusters' T-shirts depicting Mondale as a chubby
> ghost."
>
> Link to clipping on Genealogybank: https://bit.ly/fritzistoast
>
> --bgz
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 21, 2023 at 3:38 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Ghostbusters, it says at Wiki, was released in the U.S. June 8, 1984.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 21, 2023 at 3:07 PM Bill Mullins <amcombill at hotmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > 1984  San Francisco Chronicle 4 Sep 8/1
> > >
> > > His companion, Bill Baron, who was perched on a friend's shoulders, said
> > > Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale does not stand a chance.
> > > "Fritz is toast," he said.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 1986 San Francisco Chronicle 24 Apr. 57/3
> > >
> > > He says that all of North Africa will be "toast" within half an hour.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 1986 Albuquerque Tribune 24 May 12/3
> > >
> > > "If this had happened 10 or 15 years ago, I wouldn't be here talking to
> > > you," Firestone said.  "I'd be toast."
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 1986 Spacecamp (film) premiere 6 Jun
> > >
> > >  You're gonna be toast.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 1986 San Francisco Chronicle 4 July 59/3
> > >
> > > I'm only here because I have to be; come the revolution you people will
> > be
> > > toast.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Maybe a little later than you are searching for, but this one has stood
> > > out in my memory since I saw the film on release.
> > >
> > > 1988 Die Hard (film) premiere 12 Jul
> > >
> > > Theo: "The quarterback is toast!"
> > >
> > > https://youtu.be/FRyQFnAj3B8?t=49
> > >
> > > Note:  I was unable to find the line in any online scripts or subtitle
> > > files, so I suspect that (like Bill Murray's Ghostbuster lines) it was
> > > ad-libbed.
> > >
> > >
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org