[Ads-l] Antedating of "run it up the flagpole" (1956)

Sun Aug 3 12:00:01 UTC 2025

Yes, thanks all.

Green's Dictionary of Slang has a citation for a 2 April 1954 article by Crosby in the Herald-Tribune that gives examples of similar ad-speak, but it doesn't contain this phrase.

-----Original Message-----
From: "Shapiro, Fred" <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, August 3, 2025 7:48am
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Antedating of "run it up the flagpole" (1956)

Terrific work, Garson. Your latest find certainly qualifies as an antedating.

Fred Shapiro

________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, August 2, 2025 11:17 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "run it up the flagpole" (1956)

Great work, Fred, Dave, Stephen, Jesse.
Here is a match in December 1954 which probably antedates the script
of "12 Angry Men". The journalist John Crosby presented the phrase as:
"Madison Avenue Language". The phrasing was a bit different: "Let's
run the flag up the pole and see who starts saluting". In a strict
analysis, this phrase might be considered a precursor.

Date: December 24, 1954
Newspaper: The Washington Post and Times Herald
Newspaper Location: Washington D.C.
Article: Radio and Television: A Refresher Course in That Madison
Avenue Language
Author: John Crosby
Quote Page 31, Column 1
Database: ProQuest

[Begin excerpt]
Of course, there are the usual endless variations on "let's kick it
around," which means "Let's for heavens sake, somebody come with an
idea." "Let's blow feathers around the room." "Let's run it up the
rack and look underneath." "Let's run the flag up the pole and see who
starts saluting."
[End excerpt]

On the same day, this piece ran in the "Hartford Courant". The
copyright notice pointed to the "New York Herald Tribune". When I
looked in ProQuest I found a match in "The Washington Post and Times
Herald". I do not know if there is a separate match in the "New York
Herald Tribune" somewhere.

Date: December 24, 1954
Newspaper: Hartford Courant
Newspaper Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Article: Radio and Television: 'Let's Review The Bidding' In Madison
Avenue Lingo
Author: John Crosby
Quote Page 9, Column 4
Database: Newspapers.com

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Garson

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