I’ve often heard the expression, “Let’s blow this popsicle (or pop) stand,” which has a certain campy charm, when attempting to leave a place. Being rather a young’un, I don’t know whether there ever existed either pop or popsicle stands (but the pushcart ice cream vendors of my childhood are quite memorable).
I sort of assume that in the ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ era there were indeed pop or popsicle stands, places where hip teens congregated and where some studly young Turk was always slinging his leather jacket over one shoulder, grabbing his girl around the waist and growling, “Let’s blow this popsicle stand, toots,” with a cigarette clenched in his teeth. The implication is always, “we’re too good for this joint,” which leads me to suspect pop/popsicle stands were not places of good repute.
For those of you who may recall pop/popsicle stands, did the line “let’s blow…” come from some forgotten movie, perhaps, one that is often quoted but has long been relegated to motion picture history? Did “…pop stand” come before “…popsicle stand,” or did ‘pop’ evolve as a shortened version of the original? Knowing that ‘pop’ was a preferred term for what we’d call soda, I am inlined to think that ‘pop’ was the original expression and ‘popsicle’ became a cutesy version thereof. Also, isn’t popsicle a brand name, but has it been that long?
Any information on the origin or first usage of the expression would be very appreciated.
ROLF,LMAO - Can’t you just see a PC type (ala Fraiser Crane) saying, “Come, my significant other, for it is past time we departed this point of purchase area.”
Popping over to the site bibliophage recommended, I found virtually my exact question (minus, may I add, the imagery), and this answer:
“Usually, it’s “popsicle stand.” Popsicle (a registered trademark, I hasten to add in case there are any lawyers listening) is a frozen confection on a stick, just water, sugar, artificial colors, etc. Very inexpensive. The kind of store or streetcorner vendor that would sell it would be what we might call a “marginal business.” Ok, having said all that, the phrase means “let’s leave this no-longer-interesting place, and move on to biger (sic) and better things.” Equivalent to “let’s shake the dust of this town off us…etc.” “Blow [out of] town” is an older usage; the popsicle stand reference is meant to denigrate the place being vacated, in a jocular manner. No offense intended.”
However, I don’t think explaining the meaning of the expression answers the question of where did it originate? We all know what it means. Who said it first? Am I correct in dating it to the fifties or so? And I still suspect that a ‘pop stand’ was the first reference, not ‘popsicle stand,’ though the above passage offers a compelling argument by listing popsicle ingredients. Just kidding about that ‘compelling argument’ part.
Incidentally, POP (point of purchase) has a synonym in POS (point of sale). POP is preferred by marketing dunderheads (“because it POPs!”) and POS is prefered by retailers.
I don’t know what the Pop or POP in “Pop server” means. God, I love a good tangent. Thanks to all who posted.
WAG. I have seen Lemonade Stands but never Popsicle Stands. But until the mid-60s, ice cream soda shops were popular places for young people in their teens or early 20s to hang out. I wonder if the term could have come from someone saying, “let’s blow this Popsicle stand” to mean, “let’s blow this ice cream soda shop” when the action at the soda shop was growing old. Perhaps the use of “Popsicle” instead of “ice cream soda” and “stand” instead of “shop” was used to trivialize the place and by inference trivialize sticking around.
(j/k!)