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A very American joke

Posted by Bob on July 26, 2006

In Reply to: Re: Smart as a Cookie posted by R. Berg on July 26, 2006

: : : Hello - does anyone know the origins of the saying, Smart as a Cookie? I found one reference to 1948, but it didn't give any details. Thank you all in advance and I apologize if this has been covered, if so I was not able to put my finger on a past thread.

: : I've heard "that's one smart cookie."

: I've heard "a smart cookie" but not "smart as a cookie." The Dictionary of American Slang has these two among its definitions of "cookie":
: "A man; usually a man who is self-confident, clever, or brusque; usu. in 'tough cookie' or 'smart cookie.' 1942: 'Just about the toughest cookie ever born.' _Amer. Mercury_, Oct.,..."
: "Any person, esp. a clever, brash, or energetic one."

Reminds me of the joke:
did you hear about the smart cookie who went around selling girl scouts?
which I decided would draw a blank in the UK.... girl scouts (read: Girl Guides) in the US raise funds by selling boxes of cookies (read:bisuits) door-to-door. (Yet another joke fails on the autopsy table....)