# A tie is like kissing your sister - origin

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tie-is-like-kissing-your-sister-origin/231306>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 26, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tie-is-like-kissing-your-sister-origin/231306 "2004-02-26T16:56:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tie-is-like-kissing-your-sister-origin/231306/1 "2004-02-26T16:56:21Z")

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Who originally said the phrase “A tie is like kissing your sister”?

I found one [cite](http://www.psychologyofsports.com/guest/baseballclimate.htm) that says Darrell Royal. And [another](http://www.redelephants.com/redbear.html) that says Bear Bryant.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-tie-is-like-kissing-your-sister-origin/231306/2 "2004-02-27T01:32:37Z")

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The earliest cite in print that I can find is Navy coach Eddie Erdelatz from 1954. Erdelatz also used the phrase “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” in print from 1956. He must have been a colorful coach.

But. lest you think that he originated these phrases, I can quickly find a preacher in the 1930’s saying that listening to a church service on radio is like “kissing your sister” as opposed to going to a mortar and bricks church.

Everything old is new again.