[Ads-l] trigger-happy

[Jonathan Lighter]

Earlier:

1940 _Council Bluffs Nonpareil_ (Oct. 12) 7 [GenealogyBank]: And to
start things off, Street has planned a skeet program as well as a
16-yard event for the trigger-happy customers.

1941 _Burra [So. Aus.] Record_ (Aug. 12) 1 [Newspapers.com]:  They get
trigger happy and shoot to soothe their nerves.

The nuance of both is apparently just "eager to fire" rather than "too
eager...."

JL

JL

On Tue, Oct 19, 2004 at 11:41 PM Sam Clements <SClements at neo.rr.com> wrote:
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM>
> Subject:      Re: trigger-happy
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I found a cite in ProQuest L.A. Times, also from 1943.
>
> "In addition to weather, the A.T.A. flyers have to worry about what Miss Van
> Doozer described as "trigger happy boobs."
>
> So, the phrase was around in that time frame.
>
> Nothing else from ProQuest Wash. Post, NY Times, LA Times, Chic. Trib.
>
> SC
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Barnhart" <barnhart at HIGHLANDS.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 9:59 AM
> Subject: trigger-happy
>
>
> > I see in OEDs a 1943 quote for trigger-happy.  There is a reference in
> > HDAS to an entry for trigger-happy at the entry for -happy.  Does anyone
> > know of earlier evidence that the context of WWII--perhaps western movies?
> >  I found none in NewspaperArchive.com.
> >
> > Regards,
> > David
> >
> > barnhart at highlands.com
> >
>


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"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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