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

[Jonathan Lighter]

Outstanding, Garson.

IIRC, my grad school friend also knew "Can [sic] a duck swim?"

How he'd amassed such a repertoire of sarcastic comebacks I don't know.
Should have asked.

JL

On Tue, Nov 11, 2025 at 12:57 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> 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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>


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