Where did that saying originate from?

[ernest]

Does anyone know where the popular saying "Put that in your pipe and smoke it" originated from? And what was it they were referring to that the pipe smoker should put in that pipe? And what kind of pipe was it? And lastly,who was smoking the pipe? It is things like this that are keeping me up at night.

 

[ernest]

PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT -- "Make what you can of what I've just said!; Digest that, if you can!; Put up with (or tolerate) that -- if you can!; since early C19. Peake, 1824; Dickens in 'Pickwick Papers'; 'Ingoldsby' Barham: Miss Mary Braddon (1837-1915), the now forgotten bestseller of late C19...It's a fact worth noting: that, despite its continuous currency and continual - indeed, constant - use, very little attention has been paid to this phrase, which is, I'd say, rather more of a c.p. (catchphrase) than of a proverbial saying. And, by the way, it derives from the very widely held, not entirely erroneous, belief that pipe-smoking and meditation go together..." From "Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day" by Eric Partridge, updated and edited by Paul Beal, Scarborough House, Lanham, Md., 1992).

 

[pstlpkr]

I can't verify the etymology of the the following, but it is probably correct.

The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

 

[ernest]

This is the same post as above because I forgot to include the author.>>>>Re: Put that in your pipe and smoke it
Posted by ESC on June 10, 2004
In Reply to: Put that in your pipe and smoke it posted by Dave on June 10, 2004
: I would like to know the origin of the phrase Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT -- "Make what you can of what I've just said!; Digest that, if you can!; Put up with (or tolerate) that -- if you can!; since early C19. Peake, 1824; Dickens in 'Pickwick Papers'; 'Ingoldsby' Barham: Miss Mary Braddon (1837-1915), the now forgotten bestseller of late C19...It's a fact worth noting: that, despite its continuous currency and continual - indeed, constant - use, very little attention has been paid to this phrase, which is, I'd say, rather more of a c.p. (catchphrase) than of a proverbial saying. And, by the way, it derives from the very widely held, not entirely erroneous, belief that pipe-smoking and meditation go together..." From "Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day" by Eric Partridge, updated and edited by Paul Beal, Scarborough House, Lanham, Md., 1992).

 

[ernest]

Well,I guess this thread is dead in the water.

 

[pstlpkr]

dead in the water

Ok where did that come from?

 

[cortezattic]

It's not that dead! I visited Project Gutenberg and searched the text of Pickwick Papers, and couldn't find that phrase.

The only thing close to it comes from Dickens' Oliver Twist, where the Dodger was coaching Oliver:

'And always put this in your pipe, Nolly,' said the Dodger...

'If you don't take pocket-handkechers and watches,' said the Dodger,

reducing his conversation to the level of Oliver's capacity, 'some

other cove will...'

So, barring an error on my part, the Eric Partridge citation seems to be bogus!!!

 

[pstlpkr]

Good show Cortez,

I could never get through Oliver Twist.

Like Madame Bovary, it always puts my lights out.

 

[igloo]

Opium den slang I do belive .will see if I can find something to back it up .

 

[ernest]

I know one thing for sure,some one had to of said it for the first time.I was truly hoping it was from a movie so that at least it would have a date and a face.Kind of like in The Mask film in 1994,the mask said to Dorian, with Eddie G.Robinsons voice,--"you're good kid,real good,but as long as I'm around you'll always be second best,see...."

 

[cortezattic]

Lawrence said

I could never get through Oliver Twist.

Do you mean you're not "up to snuff" on Dickens?