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

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

JL: Your post about "Does a chicken have lips?" inspired the creation
of a Quote Investigator article. Thanks! Here is a link:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/11/12/chicken-lips/

Your work is acknowledged.
Garson

On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 4:10 PM Jonathan Lighter
<00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
>  Back when I was collecting for HDAS (1975-76) a fellow grad student
> volunteered the roughly interchangeable phrases, "Is the Pope Catholic?"
> and "Does a bear shit in the woods?"  "Does a chicken have lips?" could be
> either negative or (illogically) positive.
>
> From Internet Archive:
>
> 1963 _Praeterita_ (Arvin [Calif.] High School) 41: Does a chicken have lips?
>
> All from Newspapers.com:
>
> 1969 _L.A. Times_  (WEST Magazine) (Mar. 16) 32: Speaking of that, will you
> [Lew Alcindor] have a manager?  "Does a chicken have lips? I'm going to
> hire help. man. Just _hire_ 'em...and I won't have to be giving up 10
> percent of my whole income. You hip to it?"
>
> [1970 _Blade_ (Toledo, O.) (Apr. 30) 21: Does a chicken have lips?  Rickey
> says they do, but I say they don't.]
>
> 1974 _ Transcript_  (North Adams, Mass.) (June 8) 15: Did we seniors enjoy
> our four years at Greylock? Does a chicken have lips?
>
> 1975 _Austin American-Statesman_ (Mar. 28) 8: Will the rooster's beaked
> bugle be stilled in this East Texas town? Does a chicken have lips?...Judge
> Davis Cook has preserved...the sacred alarm of Ross Wyatt's bantam rooster.
>
> 1975 _Commercial Appeal_ (Memphis, Tenn.) (Jul. 6) TV-3: Does Dean Martin
> drink? Does a chicken have lips? "Of course I drink," says Dean.
>
> Etc., etc.
>
> JL

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