Where does the term 'happy as larry' come from?
402448
Who is Larry and why is he happy?”\n\nA neat question, but American readers in particular will need some background before I can address it. The phrase happy as Larry seems to have originated as either Australian or New Zealand slang sometime before 1875. This date is earlier than that given in most dictionaries, but H W Orsman, editor of the Oxford Dictionary of New Zealand English, has traced it to a New Zealand writer named G L Meredith, who wrote in about 1875: “We would be as happy as Larry if it were not for the rats”. Unlike other odd phrases—the Australian happy as a boxing kangaroo in fog time and the New Zealand happy as a sick eel on a sandspit come to mind—it was meant positively: extremely happy or content.\n\nhttp://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-lar1.htm\n\n\nthe origin of the expression "happy as Larry", which means being very happy. It looks like nobody is entirely sure. It was first recorded in 1905 and according to abc.net, "Sidney J Baker, in his classic book The Australian Language says that while we can't know for sure, it's possible that it comes from an Australian boxer named Larry Foley. His dates are 1847 to 1907. Why he was regarded as a happy pugilist is lost in the mists of time, but, apparently he was."\n\nIn French, we'd say gai(e) comme un pinson (joyous as a chaffinch), heureux/heureuse comme un roi/une reine (happy as a king/a queen), heureux/se comme un poisson dans l'eau (happy as a fish in water), etc.\n\nhttp://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/2004/11/000280.php
259587
A.  The phrase "happy as a lark" is a cliche.
10990
actually it's an arabic word and it means great happines
727480
It is used in the sense of "There you have it", for example, when you plug something in and it works, or you show somebody how to do something, you would say "Bob's your uncle".\n\nI've been using it for over 40 years, and have absolutely no idea why.  It is just a saying.\n\nI found this at www.phrase.org.uk\nEric Partridge lists it in his 'Dictionary of Slang', 1937. He gives it the meaning 'all will be well', which is not quite how it is used now. Partridge states it as dating from circa 1890, although he presents no evidence for that. Also he suggests that it may be derived from the phrase 'all is bob', which meant 'all is well'.\n\nAnother interpretation is that it derives from the supposed nepotism of Lord Salisbury. Piers Brendon, in Eminent Edwardians, 1979, writes:\n\n"... in 1887, Balfour was unexpectedly promoted to the vital front line post of Chief Secretary for Ireland by his uncle Robert, Lord Salisbury."\nVarious authors have surmised that having an uncle Bob who was Prime Minister became synonymous with having a passport to an easy life.
178123
The late Chris Farley said it on Saturday Night Live. It was during a skit he done as the motivation speaker who lived in a van by the river, Classic SNL skit. Classic guy.
35571
I'm not going to copy all the information, but there's an article on it on wikipedia.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canned_laughter
655020
They are calling people "happy"?  What is wrong with that?
157240
I used to be a server and we used to say that all the time but I had no idea where it came from.  So...  I tried to find some info and this is a website I found.  I hope it answers your questions.  I found it interesting.  \n\nhttp://www.dinermuseum.org/culture/culture-slang.php
821676
There are several theories for the expression's origins. All are heavily debated. Like many expressions it is almost impossible to fully trace its origins unless there are some sort of identifying markers found in derived Latin expressions. The below are some of the most popular origins for the expression, but cannot be conclusively proven.\n\nTraditional Theory\n\nIn the U.K., the most common idea of origin for the expression comes from tradition. Historians know from the time of King James I and Shakespeare's King's Men that actors would on occasion receive tips on top of their salaries. Rather than receiving tips directly from the company or theatre, tipping was left to the audience. During the final bows or curtain call, audiences would throw money, usually coins, onto the stage depending on how well they enjoyed the performance. In some bad performances they would throw rotten vegetables, but in the good cases, money. Actors would then 'take a knee', effectively breaking their leg line, on stage and pick up the money. As a result when you wishs someone to 'break a leg' it refers to wishing them success in their performance so in end they would have to kneel down and collect a welcoming tip. Theatre evolved and the tradition of tipping changed. This tradition led to the tradition of throwing flowers on stage, as well as presenting flowers. The expression continued through theatre as it was still applicable and later became tradition.\n\nAntonym Theory\n\nBreaking one's leg is not a good thing to hope for - therefore by some superstition, if "good luck" causes bad luck, then the perceived bad luck of breaking one's leg causes good.\n\nBowing\n\nThis theory is thought to be an extension of the Traditional Theory. For the curtain call, when actors bow or curtsy, they place one foot behind the other and bend at the knee, 'breaking' the line of the leg. In theatre, pleased audiences may applaud in which time encore bows sometimes occur. On Broadway this is considered the highest compliment to an actor. In wishing someone to 'break a leg' you are ultimately wishing them to bow many times effectively causing them to 'break a leg'. A continuation of this theory is joke where you wish someone to bow too many times that they 'break a leg'.\n\nGreek Origin\n\nIn the time of Ancient Greece, people didn’t applaud. Instead, they stomped for their appreciation and if they stomped long enough, they would break a leg. Or, some would have it that the term originated during Elizabethan times when, instead of applause the audience would stomp their chairs – and if they liked it enough, the leg of the chair would break. [1]\n\n\nLincoln Theory\n\nPopular etymology derives the phrase from the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth, the actor turned assassin, leapt to the stage of Ford's Theatre after the murder, breaking his leg in the process. The logical connection with good luck is none too clear, but such is folklore.
479382
Sorry, I couldn't find the meaning anywhere but I guess it's an abbreviation of some sort.\nSome 5-6 years ago there were these really stupid toys called Furby and they made a sound just like that "wurrrrrrv". It's also like the sound a cat makes when you stroke her chin.
1142206
Eric Partridge lists it in his 'Dictionary of Slang', 1937. He gives it the meaning 'all will be well', which is not quite how it is used now. Partridge states it as dating from circa 1890, although he presents no evidence for that. Also he suggests that it may be derived from the phrase 'all is bob', which meant 'all is well'.\n\nAnother interpretation is that it derives from the supposed nepotism of Lord Salisbury. Piers Brendon, in Eminent Edwardians, 1979, writes:\n\n"... in 1887, Balfour was unexpectedly promoted to the vital front line post of Chief Secretary for Ireland by his uncle Robert, Lord Salisbury."\n\nVarious authors have surmised that having an uncle Bob who was Prime Minister became synonymous with having a passport to an easy life.
475142
It means that something was omitted. "I was happy as I walked..."  means that the sentence continued on in its original context.  But for the user quoting, they felt the rest wasnt necessary to get the point across, so they left it out.  When brackets are in a quote [].  It means the writer added the words inside the brackets to help the reader understand what the original person meant.  For example, someone might ask a question "How was the movie?" and a person replied "Good."  If the quote was used it might be.  When asked about how he felt about the movie, Mr. Anderson replied, "[The movie was] good."  This is to let the reader know that the person didnt actually say what was in the brackets, but it is most likely what they meant.
1113425
Happy, very happy, rarely l'm bored
270125
The pursuit of happiness is in the Declaration of Independence.  Where Jefferson used the word happiness from the Greek Eudemonia(sp) which translate to "height of euphoria, depth of despair."  It's not in the Bill of Rights but it is the foundation for the Constitution and thus the Bill of Rights which are part of the US Constitution.
219084
It's from a Three Stooges movie, "Gents Without Cents" made in 1944. Curly says \n"Niagra Falls" and Moe (who was under some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion? I don't \nremember) turns on him and launches into the speech. (I dunno. Seemed funny when I was \na kid.) See www.imdb.com for good sources of movie quotes, trivia, etc.\n\n: : This was also from an Abbott and Costello movie entitled "Lost in A Harem".\n: : Many of Bud and Lou's best-known routines were vaudeville and/or burlesque \nstandards. The "Niagara Falls" bit ("Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch...I \ntook my revenge.") was performed by many teams before becoming identified with Abbott \n& Costello.
740129
thanks for the laugh, elvis? lol larry thats a nice name.... lol ill give you my dragon if you vote me Best Answer!
313654
no, just in my SECOND last name; FRIDMaN, that's in Yiddish, it means: FRID- happy  MAN- man ,so you see, maybe one of my ancestrers (sorry 4 the spelling) was a happy man.You see, l'm Jewish. Please don't discriminate.