The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #140336   Message #3887976
Posted By: Thompson
11-Nov-17 - 04:35 AM
Thread Name: Folklore: Ye Gods and Little Fishes
Subject: RE: Folklore: Ye Gods and Little Fishes
Google's Ngram Viewer, which tracks words and phrases used in printed materials, has it appearing around 1825. Without the "Ye" it appears around 1817. So look for some early-19th-century humorist as its originator. It has that kind of thumbs-in-the-braces, rocking-on-the-toes clubbable feel about it.