An Obscure Language Question

[gnomi]

Does anyone know the origin of the snowclone "__y Mc___a____," as in "Posty McPostalot"?

Comments

[tober.livejournal.com]

Well, Ned Flanders is prone to using it... but I tend to think that it was not invented by the writers of "The Simpsons."

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

I remember Frank Burns using it in episodes of M*A*S*H, so it's got to have been around at least since the early to mid 1970's.

[toonhead-npl.livejournal.com]

On Treehouse of Horror X, Homer used an early form of it to try and talk his way into a rocket taking everyone off Earth:

Guy: Name, please!
Homer: Certainly. I'm ... the piano genius from the ... movie Shine!
Guy: Uh huh, and your name is?
Homer: Uhhhh, Shiny McShine?

[sydmcginley.livejournal.com]

I mostly know it from Jon Stewart.

[beadattitude.livejournal.com]

I thought it was Buffy...

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

I second this: Hot Lips used to say it every now and then too...

[fynixsoul.livejournal.com]

I've heard this question before, though I'm not sure where . . . I think this is actually really old, dating back to the 1700's. It was a term used to mock Scottish highlanders, both their names and accents. The urban legend goes that when a Scotsman introduced himself, all anyone (Well, anyone British) heard was Something McSomething. And the British, being British, just filled in the blanks. The joke evolved from there.

the "alot" suffix is some kind of internet jargon, probably surfacing in the mid to late 90's. And like nearly all internet memes, is virtually untraceable. (No pun intended.)

Then again, as I never learned to remember sources, I might just be making this all up.

There's a tavern somewhere in NY state (possibly Rochester) called Tipsy McStaggers. I really wanted to have a drink there on my 21st birthday, but alas, it was not to be.

[arfur]

yup. http://www.tipsy-mcstaggers.com/

ain't the internet a wonderful thing?