[Ads-l] Catchphrase Origin: Is the Pope Catholic?

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here are some earlier citations for the Sarcastic Interrogative
Affirmative phrase "Will a duck swim?" which I plan to post on the
Quote Investigator website within a week or two.

[ref] 1680, Title: The History and Fall of Caius Marius: A Tragedy, As
It Is Acted at the Duke's Theatre, Author: Thomas Otway, Scene:
Metellus house, Quote Page 33, Publisher: Printed for Tho. Flesher, at
the Angel and Crown in S. Paul's Church-yard, London. (ProQuest; EEBO
Early English Books Online) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Lavin. Nay, prithee be not angry, Nurse; I meant No ill. Speak kindly,
will my Marius come?

Nurse. Will he? will a Duck swim?

Lavin. Then he will come.

Nurse. Come? why, he will come upon all four, but he'll come. Go, get
you in, and say your Prayers: go.
[End excerpt]

The excerpt below might have appeared in a pamphlet earlier, but I
have not been able to find the pamphlet.

[ref] 1787, Strictures in Vindication of Some of the Doctrines
Misrepresented by Mr. Foot in His Two Pamphlets by T. Brand (Thomas
Brand) (Member of the Corporation of Surgeons, London, and Surgeon
Extraordinary to his Majesty's Royal Hospital at Greenwich, Quote Page
47, Printed for G. Nicol, Bookseller to his Majesty, London. (Google
Books Full View) link [/ref]

https://books.google.com/books?id=YXlZAAAAcAAJ&q=%22duck+swim%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
"For example, (says Mr. Foot, p. 13) if one of his domestics were
asked whether the professor was not a great anatomist? The answer in
all probability would be, can a duck swim! But if the same domestic
were asked if he be a learned writer, and a man of great judgment?
There this very proverb would fail in the application, it would stick
in his throat, for it would not confirm him in these excellencies."
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 12:31 AM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Scholar Charles Clay Doyle calls the phrase in the subject line a
> sarcastic interrogative, and he mentions other phrases in this family
> such as "Is water wet?", "Can birds fly?", and "Is the sky blue?".
>
> [ref] 1975 Spring, Midwestern Journal of Language and Folklore, Volume
> 1, Number 1, Sarcastic Interrogative Affirmatives and Negatives by
> Charles Clay Doyle, Start Page 33, End Page 34, Indiana State
> University, Terre Haute, Indiana. (HathiTrust Full View) [/ref]
>
> The wonderful website "Green's Dictionary of Slang" lists several
> examples together with citations. Here is a link:
> https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/6dklozy
>
> Way back in February 2011 sarcastic interrogatives were discussed on
> this mailing list in two threads:
> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2011-February/107011.html
> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2011-February/107021.html
>
> Recently, I was communicating with quotation expert Nigel Rees, and he
> suggested exploring "Is the Pope Catholic?".
>
> The earliest match for the target phrase with the desired sense I
> found appeared on August 24, 1952, within a San Antonio, Texas
> newspaper. An article about adventurer Jim Furlong described his
> journey sailing half-way around the world in a small sailing boat.
> Unfortunately, he suffered an accident that damaged his foot. Furlong
> was asked about his experience:
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Would he do it all over again?
> "Is the Pope a Catholic," grinned Furlong. "Sure I would. I'm already
> planning my next trip -- and it's going to be the biggest yet."
> [End excerpt]
>
> I also found multiple earlier instances which were comical, but not
> sarcastic. For example, on December 28, 1854, "The Boston Herald" of
> Massachusetts printed the following short item titled "A Catholic Know
> Nothing":
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> An Irishwoman in this city, not long since, while listening to some
> conversation respecting Nicholas and the Pope, inquired, very
> innocently -- "Is the Pope a Catholic?" Fact.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
> https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/11/07/pope-catholic/
>
> Feedback and interesting material about "Is the Pope Catholic?" would be welcome
> Garson O'Toole
> QuoteInvestigator.com

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