FYI
IN LIKE FLYNN
>From Gustavo Bruckner: "What is the derivation of in like Flynn?"
Reference books almost universally assert that this set phrase, an American
expression meaning to be successful emphatically or quickly, especially in
regard to sexual seduction, refers to the Australian-born actor Errol Flynn.
His drinking, drug-taking and sexual exploits were renowned, even for
Hollywood, but the phrase is said to have been coined following his
acquittal in February 1943 for the statutory rape of a teenage girl. This
seems to be supported by the date of the first example recorded, in American
Speech in December 1946, which cited a 1945 use in the sense of something
being done easily.
The trouble with this explanation is that examples of obviously related
expressions have now turned up from dates before Flynn's trial. Barry Popik
of the American Dialect Society found an example from 1940, as well as this
from the sports section of the San Francisco Examiner of 8 February 1942:
"Answer these questions correctly and your name is Flynn, meaning you're in,
provided you have two left feet and the written consent of your parents". To
judge from a newspaper reference he turned up from early 1943, the phrase
could by then also be shortened to I'm Flynn, meaning "I'm in".
It's suggested by some writers that the phrase really originated with
another Flynn, Edward J Flynn - "Boss" Flynn - a campaign manager for the
Democratic party during FDR's presidency. Flynn's machine in the South Bronx
in New York was so successful at winning elections that his candidates
seemed to get into office automatically.
The existence of the examples found by Mr. Popik certainly suggest the
expression was at first unconnected with Errol Flynn, but that it shifted
its association when he became such a notorious figure. Since then, it has
altered again, because in 1967 a film, In Like Flint, a spy spoof starring
James Coburn, took its title by wordplay from the older expression, and in
turn caused many people to think that the phrase was really in like Flint.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-tigers@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-tigers@autox.team.net]On
Behalf Of Norman Miller
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2001 10:22 PM
To: tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Performer, F4B, Which Manifold?
At 01:05 AM 9/29/2001 -0400, Ramon wrote:
>...you'll be "in like Flynn."
Flynn for PRESIDENT!
ncm
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