How 'bout them ...

Posted by Bob on October 07, 2006

In Reply to: How 'bout them ... posted by Rogerio on October 07, 2006

: couldn't find any reference anywhere to the meaning (well, when there's an ackward silence, you use this phrase) and origin of "how 'bout them dodgers?"

Well, you must be from Southern California. This phrase is widely used in the U.S., but with the local sports team inserted. The earliest I heard it was 1974 in Cincinnati, as "how 'bout them Reds," the local baseball team. The other night on "House," a medical television drama starring Hugh Laurie (who's from Oxfordshire but whose American accent is dead solid perfect) was bantering with a patient and sarcastically asked "how 'bout them local sports team." Priceless.