What's the origin of the phrase "A day late and a dollar short"?

Hi girlfriday68,

According to The Wordwizard Clubhouse
http://www.wordwizard.com/clubhouse/founddiscuss1.asp?Num=5310

day late and a dollar short

A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR (or DIME) SHORT on I.D., A miss timewise and a
miss moneywise used as an analogy to describe how one missed successe
wise; inadequate; overdue and lacking; too little too late. ?The Facts
on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins? claims that the term
is an old saying that dates back at least a century. ?Chapman?s
Dictionary of American Slang? uses the etymological weasel word BY and
claims that the expression was in use ?by 1990s?  so they ARE in
agreement. (<:) <Yankee traders will be a day late and a dollar short:
Visa cards are already welcome in Saigon New Republic> <Clinton?s
attempt to explain Whitewater is several days late and a dollar short
Howard Fineman>

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The Phrase Finder
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/1626.html

phrases for bungling


Keyword search:

origin day late dollar short
history phrase day late dollar short
origin day late dime short
origin of phrases


Best regards,
tlspiegel

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Request for Answer Clarification by girlfriday68-ga on 17 Apr 2004 17:10 PDT

Thanks, tlspiegel. This answer focuses on how people use the phrase,
but I was hoping for more information on its origins: Who was the
first person or publication to use it? And did it originally refer to
anything in particular? If that's too much to ask for for $5, I'd
appreciate some feedback. Thanks very much.

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Clarification of Answer by tlspiegel-ga on 17 Apr 2004 17:28 PDT

Hi girlfriday68,

I saw your request for clarification, and will reply with more
information ASAP.  I'm currently working on a small project and will
be done shortly.  Thanks for your patience!

Best regards,
tlspiegel

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Request for Answer Clarification by girlfriday68-ga on 17 Apr 2004 17:35 PDT

Thanks for letting me know! -gf68

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Clarification of Answer by tlspiegel-ga on 17 Apr 2004 17:53 PDT

Hi girlfriday68,



You asked in your clarification  "Who was the first person or
publication to use it?

Even though I searched extensively, I found only the information I
provided in my answer.  If you would like more information there's a
possiblity the exact date of first usage or when it was published
first could be found inside the 2 books referenced in my original
answer.  Those were:

Dictionary of American Slang 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/006270107X/qid=1082248268/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-0013338-7083356?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

And,

The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0816032661/qid=1082248351/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-0013338-7083356?v=glance&s=books&n=507846


Unfortunately, I don't have access to those books. 


The second part of your clarification:  "And did it originally refer
to anything in particular?

Yes it originally meant the same as what it means even today - a
century after it was first used.  The expression or phrase means: 
bungling a situation (messing up).  In other words:  too little too
late.
 

The Phrase Finder - Re: Judgemental Phrases: a Mild Misunderstanding
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/1/messages/2761.html

Or "He's always been a day late and a dollar short," meaning "he has
always missed the mark and been unsuccessful at things."


The Phrase Finder - Re: phrases for bungling
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/1626.html

dropped the ball, let down the side (British)

[edit]

came a cropper, blew it, fumbled, day late and a dollar short




I hope this helps!

Best regards,
tlspiegel

Thanks. I was hoping for something more specific, but I appreciate
your timely response and your suggestion of further resources. I'll
definitely hit the books.