Comments on: Sweating bullets http://www.word-detective.com/2009/10/21/sweating-bullets/ Semper Ubi Sub Ubi Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:19:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Yobgod Ababua http://www.word-detective.com/2009/10/21/sweating-bullets/comment-page-1/#comment-4879 Yobgod Ababua Wed, 26 May 2010 00:47:11 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=2072#comment-4879 I wonder if the phrase "sweating bullets" came about, not linguistically, but from the longstanding practice among cartoonists of illustrating the condition of anxiety by drawing bullet-like droplets radiating out from the character. This could have led to people referring to themselves (or others) as "sweating bullets" in reference to how they would presumably be drawn in comic form due to their state. As an example, see the following (from 1937): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Alley1937oop.jpg I wonder if the phrase “sweating bullets” came about, not linguistically, but from the longstanding practice among cartoonists of illustrating the condition of anxiety by drawing bullet-like droplets radiating out from the character. This could have led to people referring to themselves (or others) as “sweating bullets” in reference to how they would presumably be drawn in comic form due to their state.

As an example, see the following (from 1937):
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Alley1937oop.jpg

]]> By: Sweating bullets « The Word Detective | Hyperhidrosis - How To Stop Sweating http://www.word-detective.com/2009/10/21/sweating-bullets/comment-page-1/#comment-3198 Sweating bullets « The Word Detective | Hyperhidrosis - How To Stop Sweating Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:30:31 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=2072#comment-3198 [...] rest is here: Sweating bullets « The Word Detective Share and [...] [...] rest is here: Sweating bullets « The Word Detective Share and [...]

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