[Ads-l] proleptic "toast"

[Ben Zimmer]

Very sorry, it's "chick." I was confusing it with another line from that
scene, "Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown."

On Wed, Jun 21, 2023 at 5:38 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> [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
>

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