Origin of phrase 'come on'

Question

Is the origin/first usage of the phrase 'come on' known? I know there is a similar 'kom op' in Dutch (same meaning, as well as a literal translation of the words), but I don't know which took it from which, or where it came from originally.
NB: I'm talking about the varied but nebulously-connected figurative meanings along the lines of 'get moving', 'stop complaining', 'stop kidding around', 'it's not that bad'... not necessarily the literal 'come on [to the stage]' - I don't know whether that'd be related.
EDIT: I did not believe my question was a duplicate when I posted it, but further searching (prompted by @Cascabel) has turned up an earlier instance after all, from 2012. No clear answer emerged there, unfortunately.

user 66974 · Answer

Green’s Dictionary of Slang dates the exclamation “come on!” from the early 20th century.

a general exclamation  of disbelief, disapproval, irritation.

1901  [Aus]   W.S. Walker In the Blood 214: ‘’Ang it all,’ says I, ‘this ’ere beats cock-fightin’! ‘Come on!’ says the cove.

1916  [US]    J. Lait ‘Charlie the Wolf’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 29: ‘An’ dey tells me it took four keepers to hold ‘im.’ ‘Come on,’ said Kelly to the Wolf.

1929  [US]    D. Parker ‘Big Blonde’ in Penguin Dorothy Parker (1982) 191: Ah, come on, Herb, you’ve had enough, haven’t you? You’ll feel something terrible in the morning.

memechicken · Answer

The origin of "come on" seems hard to find, but I can find it in English here (1691): The Miser: a comedy in five acts and in prose.
It says:

Come on, Musicianers, strike up, Hey: Here forsooth, here's your health; and would I might ne're go out of this place.

Early uses of "come on" seem to only be to get moving.
In Dutch, it has appeared during the same time (1695), in the form of Komaan: De Knorrepot, of de gestoorde Doctor.
(It says "Komaan , myo Heer , ik ben gereed te tekenen" which means something like "Come on, My Lord, I am ready to sign".)
I cannot find any uses of "come on" earlier than that.

Origin of phrase 'come on'

2 Answers

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question