[Ads-l] Antedating of "Chump Change"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The term chump change was prefigured in the following entertaining
passage from slang specialist Damon Runyon in 1938.

Date: June 17, 1938
Newspaper: Chillicothe Gazette
Newspaper Location: Chillicothe, Ohio
Article: The Brighter Side
Author: Damon Runyon,
Quote Page 4, Column 2
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
We regret we can offer you no fundamental principle for success at the
moment though we recall that a great industrialist once said "Never
take a chump's breakfast money." He argued that if the chump wakes up
without the price of his morning Java and crullers he is apt to be so
discouraged that he will remain in bed--will cease physical effort.

On the other hand, the industrialist said, if you leave the chump
enough change to buy a good, sustaining breakfast, his spirit and
energy will revive and he will go out and hustle up more money for you
to take from him.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Thu, Apr 18, 2024 at 7:32 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>
>
> chump change (OED 1967)
>
> 1965 Philadelphia Tribune 1 May 7 (ProQuest)
>
> Hardly anyone ... expected the "War on Poverty" to be won with a mere bagful of leftover "chump change" after some payments on the national debt.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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