Timeline for Origin of “name happened” form: from “s*** happens” via “magic happens”?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
21 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| S Aug 8, 2014 at 12:22 | history | bounty ended | Fattie | ||
| S Aug 8, 2014 at 12:22 | history | notice removed | Fattie | ||
| Aug 2, 2014 at 23:51 | answer | added | Reg Edit | timeline score: 4 | |
| Aug 1, 2014 at 9:55 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackEnglish/status/495145845684465664 | ||
| Aug 1, 2014 at 9:28 | answer | added | Binney | timeline score: 1 | |
| Aug 1, 2014 at 8:57 | history | edited | Fattie | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
deleted 715 characters in body
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| S Aug 1, 2014 at 8:55 | history | bounty started | Fattie | ||
| S Aug 1, 2014 at 8:55 | history | notice added | Fattie | Draw attention | |
| Aug 1, 2014 at 6:44 | answer | added | Sven Yargs | timeline score: 6 | |
| Aug 1, 2014 at 4:15 | history | edited | Mari-Lou A | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Summarized/revised the OP's question because it deserves a second chance :)
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| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:47 | comment | added | Fattie | HI Edwin -- thanks for the reply. For me, 'John happened' is a witty response to 'What happened?', because, of the phrase "shit happens". (Indeed, plays on "shit happened" were already in the air, "nice thing happens" etc.) | |
| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:43 | comment | added | Fattie | {indeed, in the usage "and then star wars happened", the word "happened" is (obviously) being used identically to the way it is used in: "and then the startling and dramatic cultural phenomenon and business success related to star wars happened". So, by all means, "happened" is not being used unusually at all in the "Zodanga happened" form: it's the other word being used unusually. When OED catches up with this they will explain that in this usage, happened implies transitioning a <thing> to "the startling effects of thing".} | |
| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:43 | comment | added | Andrew Leach♦ | Note to all on Safe For Work question titles: please see meta.english.stackexchange.com/questions/975/… | |
| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:42 | history | edited | Andrew Leach♦ | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
There is a policy that question titles are Safe For Work.
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| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:40 | comment | added | Fattie | hi Fumble. regarding the form "shit happens". the OED covers it. regarding the form "Star Wars happens" the OED does not cover it. Are you familiar with that usage, as in english.stackexchange.com/questions/186748 ? There is utterly no connection to "to occur by chance" or "to come about without (obvious) cause" or the "resigned attitude" sense. "shit happens" is exactly the "resigned attitude" send. the very recent slang form "Star Wars happened" or "Zodanga happened" has no connection to those three usages. | |
| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:36 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | I don't see why you say "OED hasn't cottoned on yet". Their Defn 1.b.a says More emphatically: to occur by chance rather than design; to come about without (obvious) cause. Freq. expressing a resigned attitude to any state of affairs or course of events. Cf. shit happens. And their first citation for this "nuance" is 1833. There's no reason to think XXX happened derives from shit happens in any "objective" sense (though I'm sure in the minds of some current speakers, that's what they're echoing when they say things like "Parenthood happens"). | |
| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:35 | history | edited | Fattie | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
edited title
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| Jul 25, 2014 at 12:32 | history | edited | tchrist♦ | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
heroic copyedit; edited tags
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| Jul 25, 2014 at 8:55 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | Offhand, I'd say 'John happened' (stress on the name) is a witty response to 'What happened?' | |
| Jul 25, 2014 at 8:52 | history | edited | Fattie | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jul 25, 2014 at 8:46 | history | asked | Fattie | CC BY-SA 3.0 |