Jack Robinson

June 14th, 2012 by admin

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Posted in columns, June 2012 | 2 comments

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2 comments on this post.

  1. ND Anthony:

    June 25th, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    Interesting theories, all – but how did we get from Jack Robinson being someone who came and went quickly to “quick as you can say Jack Robinson”? Is it simply that we’re positing that our friend Jack was gone so quickly that he could barely be introduced? Or is there more to this etymology?

  2. brandon shreve:

    March 31st, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    To ND Anthony:
    The focal point is not saying the phrase, but the length of time it takes in saying it; consequently, the task can be completed in 1.2 seconds. “A New York minute.” In a “Finstant.” It is all about brevity.

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