Boy Howdy

Posted by ESC on August 30, 2001

In Reply to: Boy Howdy posted by Jim Webster on August 29, 2001

: Just wondering...does this sarcastic putdown derive from the Howdy Doody Show?

I don't know. Anyone? "Boy!" as an interjection (like Gosh! Man!) goes back to 1894, according to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, A-G by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1994. I couldn't find the origin of "Boy, howdy!" The first time I heard it was during a late 60s/70s TV program -- "The Carol Burnett Show." Mama, a character in the Family skits, said "Boy, howdy!" Something along the lines of improvising here) "None of my family comes to see me. But, boy howdy, they'll be there when the will is read."