Funny papers

Posted by R.Berg on October 18, 2002

In Reply to: Funny papers posted by Tony on October 18, 2002

: Any ideas as to how old this expression for comic strips is? Thanks.

By the 1920s, "funnies," short for "funny papers," was in use, so "funny papers" must be older than that.

Oxford English Dict., 1st ed., supplement:

"Funny column," a newspaper column containing humorous matter or illustrations. Orig. U.S.

"Funny" [noun], A comic illustration, etc. U.S.
[Quotations in OED:]
1920 C. SANDBURG 'Smoke & Steel' . . . About the funnies in the papers.
1922 'Slabs of Sunburnt West' . . . Turning among headlines, date lines, funnies, ads.