Timeline for What is the origin of the phrase "when push comes to shove"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
10 events
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| Jan 31, 2015 at 16:08 | comment | added | Janus Bahs Jacquet | A few years later: the earliest OED reference for the exact phrase is from a 1898 newspaper in Georgia: “When ‘push comes to shove’ will editors of the Yellow Kid organs enlist?”. Earliest reference at all is from 1873 in United Methodist Free Churches’ Mag.: “The proposed improvement is about to fail, when Push comes up behind it and gives it a shove, and Pull goes in front and lays into the traces; and, lo! the enterprise advances, the goal is reached!”. | |
| Apr 23, 2012 at 15:05 | comment | added | Callithumpian | So it does. I got that from Safire's 1997 article. Maybe someone here could confirm that that is still OED's earliest reference. I'd like to know before going through the OED submission process. | |
| Apr 23, 2012 at 6:13 | comment | added | Hugo | I don't have OED access either, but your answer edit cites a 1958 citation. | |
| Apr 23, 2012 at 2:42 | comment | added | Callithumpian | @Hugo: Just sent it to Etymonline. I'll do the same for OED, but can you tell me what they have for earliest occurrence? I don't have easy access. | |
| Apr 21, 2012 at 7:38 | comment | added | Hugo | You should send these antedatings to etymonline.com and the OED. | |
| Jun 18, 2011 at 4:48 | history | edited | Callithumpian | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added parenthetical to last edit
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| Jun 17, 2011 at 14:37 | history | edited | Callithumpian | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added link to final clips
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| Jun 17, 2011 at 12:22 | history | edited | Callithumpian | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added "Edit #2"; added 6 characters in body; added 2 characters in body
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| Jun 17, 2011 at 12:11 | history | edited | Callithumpian | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jun 17, 2011 at 11:57 | history | answered | Callithumpian | CC BY-SA 3.0 |