In Reply to: All of a sudden posted by Paul McCluskey on March 26, 2009 at 11:50:
: Where does the phrase 'all of a sudden' originate?
We've had a discussion about this before. http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/26/messages/1166.html But we didn't come up with anything conclusive. I think, just a guess, that the phrase has its roots in silent films. Kind of like "Meanwhile, back at the ranch."