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Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

A Way with Words, a radio show and podcast about language and linguistics.

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Every since the dog ate the baby
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1
2013/08/27 - 2:51pm

Every since the dog at the baby, it's been, "Shoot the dog, shoot the dog, shoot the goddamned dog!"  

There are many variations like "Get ridda the dog."  

Some of my friends think it is a from a movie, but I've struck out looking for it. It seems to show up in current audience participation versions of Rocky Horror Picture Show scripts, but my friends suggest that it is older than that.

It is also in Unix Fortune files, but it is hard to tell when it was added.  

Any ideas?

EmmettRedd
859 Posts
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2
2013/08/28 - 6:57am

The Google Ngram Viewer lists many books for the phrase "ate the baby". It does not list anything for "dog ate the baby" although it is not hard to find some examples in the first list. Here are a couple of examples from the first list: Phonology:..., Three Exposures (plays), another play?

HTH and Welcome.

Emmett

Guest
3
2013/08/28 - 8:45pm
Does that expression mean anything?
 
Sometimes people make jokes that reference the famous Australian incident that involved a dingo, but there are no idioms derived from there.
 
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