Let's blow this malt shop

Posted by ESC on April 17, 2004

In Reply to: Let's blow this malt shop posted by michele on April 17, 2004

: Does anyone know where the phrase, let's blow this malt shop came from?
: Is it a change of "let's blow this pop or popsicle stand?

I think so. Here's previous discussion from the archives:

Usually, it's "popsicle stand." Popsicle (a registered trademark, I hasten to add in case there are any lawyers listening) is a frozen confection on a stick, just water, sugar, artificial colors, etc. Very inexpensive. The kind of store or streetcorner vendor that would sell it would be what we might call a "marginal business." Ok, having said all that, the phrase means "let's leave this no-longer-interesting place, and move on to biger and better things." Equivalent to "let's shake the dust of this town off us...etc." "Blow [out of] town" is an older usage; the popsicle stand reference is meant to denigrate the place being vacated, in a jocular manner. No offense intended.

: New one for me. I've always heard it this way:
"Let's blow this taco stand" or ...hotdog stand". But, I'm sure the same applys. As you said, "let's leave this no-longer-interesting place, and move on to bigger and better".
I work in Manhattan and occasionally at lunch a group of us would go to the corner hotdot vendor. As we call them "Dirty water dogs" but as we wait for him to serve other customers, we browse his inventory--decide not to settle for a mere hotdog and someone would say "Let's blow this hotdog stand and go to Robert DeNiro's steakhouse.