what if someone knew a phrase, but didn't know where it came from?

June 13, 2007 10:11 AM

What's the origin of the phrase: "What if we threw a war and no one came?"

I've heard it a lot and it has been adapted for various uses. Google-fu is failing me!

posted by macinchik to Writing & Language (17 answers total)

I've seen the phrase as "What if we threw a war and nobody came?"
If that helps.
I think it's a slogan from the '60s
posted by seanyboy at 10:23 AM on June 13, 2007

There's a Far Side cartoon in which generals are in a situation room, and one of them says (with a dumb, wistful expression) "What if we threw a war and everybody came?"

I've googled for it, but can't find the image.

I imagine the origin is wishful thinking about parties. "What if ALL my friends showed up? That'd be great" etc.
posted by WPW at 10:25 AM on June 13, 2007

This has been asked before.
posted by chillmost at 10:26 AM on June 13, 2007

So, 1969 at least...
posted by seanyboy at 10:26 AM on June 13, 2007

Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came.
posted by gene_machine at 10:26 AM on June 13, 2007

Damn You....
posted by seanyboy at 10:27 AM on June 13, 2007

There's a Far Side cartoon in which generals are in a situation room, and one of them says (with a dumb, wistful expression) "What if we threw a war and everybody came?"

Actually, I believe that was Gahan Wilson. I've been furiously trying to locate it since the question appeared, but no luck ...
posted by jbickers at 10:28 AM on June 13, 2007

I think it's safe to say that it was popularized during the Vietnam War. A few of the googles I did mentioned it as a "bumper sticker slogan" or just "slogan" of the era.

Also, jbickers, the cartoon in question was a Far Side cartoon.
posted by MasonDixon at 10:34 AM on June 13, 2007

For anyone who doesn't feel like clicking through to the earlier thread, Carl Sandburg wrote "Sometime they’ll give a war and nobody will come" in The People Yes (1936); at some undetermined point in the '60s, this idea was turned into the slogan "What if they gave a war and nobody came?"

(I would like to second vacapinta's dismay in that thread that the poster marked an urban legend as Best Answer.)
posted by languagehat at 10:41 AM on June 13, 2007

How did gave become threw then?
posted by A189Nut at 10:54 AM on June 13, 2007

I remember the cartoon... I can't say for sure if it was Far Side, or Gahan Wilson, or.. maybe... Addams???

I recall it as "On the other hand, gentlemen, what if we threw a war and everybody came?"
posted by The Deej at 11:00 AM on June 13, 2007

How did gave become threw then?

I don't think it did, I think the poster misremembered it. At any rate, I've only seen it as "gave."
posted by languagehat at 11:05 AM on June 13, 2007

I think it naturally gave way to "threw" because of its association with the idiomatic phrase "threw a party". The idea of throwing a war, rather than a party, makes a nice contrast that drives the point home more dramatically.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:41 AM on June 13, 2007

Coulda been: had, threw, gave, etc... I will place no wager.
posted by The Deej at 12:04 PM on June 13, 2007

"Gave a party" is more British, or upper-class USian, than "threw a party". Idiomatic American would have it "...held a war...", but apparently "gave" out-googles held 100:1. Other variants include "no one" for "nobody", and "showed up" for "came".

STUMPERS-L had an answer debunking the Brecht connection and bringing up one I couldn't verify -- Thornton Wilder.

A few other citations here.
posted by dhartung at 12:33 PM on June 13, 2007

I Googled this:

"on the other hand gentlemen what if" war

and got 2 links.

This link calls it a Pfeifer and quotes it as "On the other hand, gentlemen, what if we gave a war and EVERYBODY came?"

The second link (actually, this is a click away from it) attributes it to Larson, and also quotes it as, "On the other hand, gentlemen, what if we gave a war and EVERYBODY came?"

FWIW
posted by The Deej at 1:48 PM on June 13, 2007

The WPW was correct as to the author of the comic, it's Far Side.
posted by Kattullus at 5:02 PM on June 17, 2007