Tim in Unadilla, New York, says his grandmother used to say It’s a great life if you don’t weaken. For some reason, in 1914 this catchphrase exploded on both sides of the Atlantic. Other versions: It’s a gay life if you don’t weaken and It’s a good life if you don’t weaken. The idea was that life is great as long as you can keep your health, and that life will also be great if you don’t give in to vices. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “It’s a Great Life if You Don’t Weaken”
Hi there, you have A Way with Words.
Martha.
Yes.
This is Tim DeMulder in a little town in upstate New York, Unadilla, New York.
Well, Tim, what would you like to talk with us about?
My grandmother, I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but she immigrated from England, from Nottingham, England in 1907. She came in Ellis Island, and my family all knows this. She used to say, it’s a great life, you don’t weaken. And I’ll say it to people, and they’ll kind of look at me cross-eyed, or they’re like, what’d you say? And then I repeat it, and some people kind of acknowledge that, and other people kind of like, I don’t get it. But we’ve always said it here. It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.
Yes.
All right, so here’s the thing. Around 1914, actually in 1914, this catchphrase exploded, exploded in the English-speaking world on both sides of the Atlantic. Just blammo. We’re talking wartime. I don’t know where it came from. I have some ideas, and I’ll express those in a minute. But in 1914, everyone, everyone was saying, it’s a great life if you don’t weaken. Or they were saying, it’s a gay life if you don’t weaken. Or it’s a good life if you don’t weaken. But some variant of, it’s a great life if you don’t weaken. I mean, it’s all over the newspapers. It’s in every comedian’s routine, vaudeville. People were saying this. It was in soldiers were saying it. It was just the thing to say. And I don’t know why. And none of the catchphrase hunters, and they’re out there, these are people, they’re all weirdos like me. They hunt these things up and try to prove their origins. They don’t know why either. But 1913 and before, no evidence of it whatsoever. 1914, blammo. The first use I have is in March of that year, and it’s from a theater person. Actually, the first few uses that we have are from theater people all on the east coast of the United States. And then before you know it, it starts showing up from soldiers and it starts showing up in newspapers and sports writers and here and there. And then everyone’s saying it. And the general gist of this expression typically was it imparts the idea that life is great if you can keep your health. But there’s also a little bit of irony to it. A second meaning that if you can avoid giving in to vice, if you can avoid giving in to self-indulgence. So there’s like two layers to this. You actually have letters from the trenches, guys writing home from World War I, using this line as they’re being shot at, more or less. And, you know, they’re in the mud saying, it’s a great life if you don’t weaken. And that’s the utter irony, because it’s not a great life. And they are being ultimate in strength. It reminds me of that expression, nice day if it don’t rain. You know, sort of like, duh.
Yeah, exactly.
It’s a little bit of that. That’s everything that I know about that.
Well, thank you so much, you guys. It’s been such a pleasure.
All right, Tim. Take care, now.
Thanks.
Don’t weaken. It’s a great life, you don’t weaken. You guys take care.
Bye-bye.
All righty.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
What’s the expression your grandmother or grandfather used? We’d love to hear about it. 877-929-9673 or send it to us in email. That address is words@waywordradio.org.
