I was impressed to read the Oxford English Dictionary attribute the phrase Shut you pie hole,’ to Stephen King. The OED says, ‘The earliest known use of the noun pie hole is from 1983, in the writing of Stephen King, novelist,’ in his novel Christine. Looking into this subject further, however, (going down the pie hole, as it were) I learned that a character in Sally Field’s 1979 movie Norma Rae, written by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, tells her, ‘Norma, shut your cake hole!’ So I’m less impressed with Stephen King and the OED. They should shut their pie hole.

  • Nawoitsol@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    In the first season of MASH Frank Burns says “shut your cake hole”. That would have been 1973.

      • hiker201@alien.topOPB
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        1 year ago

        This leads to jokes about shoeshorns. As in, ‘I’ll beat you so bad you’ll need a shoehorn to put on your hat.’ And,

        The Contrary Man. A contrary mortal was Anthony Slaughter – He washed in the towel, and wiped in the water, And put both his legs through his shirt to get in it, And forced off the buttons on purpose to pin it. He put on his hat with a shoehorn discreetly, Employing a bootjack to take it off neatly; Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle (1898), 3 September

  • dlrace@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but those are two different words.

    • hiker201@alien.topOPB
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      1 year ago

      I have a friend who’s employed since the 1980s by the OED in the U.S. as a word-origin sleuth/editor. He spends most of his time in the Library of Congress. This in fact may be his entry. I’d ask him, but I’m afraid he’ll tell me to shut my pie hole.

  • OlyScott@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    In the radio show “The Goon Show” from the 1950’s, someone said “shut your big dinner grinder.” I love that.

  • Obvious_Amphibian270@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    King has done some good writing over the years(and some pure shit), but I doubt he created the phrase. I remember hearing people say it when I was a kid (50s and 60s)

  • webauteur@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    I like to use “Shut your cry hole” to silence protestors. Fortunately I have a supply of adult pacifiers which work much better.