see you in the funny papers

English

WOTD – 26 November 2022

Etymology

Probably a humorous elaboration of see you or see you later (“a phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker”). The funny papers are the pages of a newspaper containing comic strips; the implication appears to be that the person addressed will do something ludicrous which will end up featured in a comic strip.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsiː‿ju ɪn‿ðə ˌfʌni ˈpeɪpəz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsi‿jə ɪn‿ðə ˌfʌni ˈpeɪpɚz/
• Hyphenation: see you in the fun‧ny pa‧pers

Interjection

see you in the funny papers

1. (US, humorous, informal, dated) Goodbye; see you later.

   Synonym: see you in the funny pages

   • 1915 January 13, “The ‘fish’ and ‘whick’: Had a little conversation about the school work”, in W[illiam] Y[oast] Morgan, editor, The Hutchinson News, last edition, volume XXVIII, number 275, Hutchinson, Kan.: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 12, column 6:

     Bye, Bye, I'll see you in the funny papers. See?

   • [1919 April 18, “Famous last lines”, in Harold R. Hall, editor, University Daily Kansan, volume XVI, number 120, Lawrence, Kan.: Department of Journalism, University of Kansas, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1, column 5:

     I'll see you in the funny paper.]

   • 1926 October, Sara Haardt, “Jackson, Tennessee”, in Julian Starr, Jr., editor, The Carolina Magazine: The Official Literary Publication of the Students of the University of North Carolina, volume 57, number 1, Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, →OCLC, page 37:

     "S'long!" he waved brightly. "See you in the funny papers …"

   • 1928 May 20, “Flashbacks and fadeouts”, in The Washington Post (Features), Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4, column 3:

     "I'll see you in the funny papers." This is the remark that Alice White passed to Arthur Lake on the beach near Los Angeles last summer. It was a bit of current slang, but Alice little dreamed it would come true. But it has. A few months later Arthur was assigned to play the title role in First National Pictures' screen version of the famous funny paper comic, "Harold Teen." Miss White was given the role of Giggles in the picture.

   • [1929, William Faulkner, “June 2, 1910”, in “The Sound and the Fury”, in The Sound and the Fury & As I Lay Dying, New York, N.Y.: The Modern Library, published 1946, →OCLC, page 130:

     [T]a-ta see you in the funnypaper]

   • 1947 December 27, Lawrence Williams, “Virgil Oliphant’s Christmas Present”, in William L. Chenery, editor, Collier’s, volume 120, number 26, Springfield, Oh.: Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 28, column 3:

     Well, I'll see you in the funny papers, and by that I mean the Alumni office at two tomorrow afternoon.

   • 1975 September 29, Bob Koppany, “Cartoonist Myers bewitches millions with Broom Hilda and his other characters”, in Jim Stebinger, editor, UCLA Daily Bruin, volume XCVI, number 2, Los Angeles, Calif.: Communications Board, ASUCLA [Associated Students UCLA], →OCLC, page 5, column 2:

     Though [Russell] Myers puns a lot, it was interesting to note that when he said goodbye, he did not tack on the quip, "see you in the funny papers." He probably knows that everyone would.

   • 1989, Lynn Johnston, “A Look Inside For Better or For Worse”, in A Look Inside … For Better or For Worse: The Tenth Anniversary Collection, Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel Publishing, →ISBN, page 62:

     Just before leaving my room, after tucking me into bed, my dad would turn off the light and say, "See you in the funny papers." Somehow, even though I was just a little kid … he knew.

Translations

goodbye; see you later — see goodbye