Date:  Thu, 6 Nov 1997 08:21:15 -0600
From:  Tom Head <tlh[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NETDOOR.COM>
Subject: Re: "so do me something" - Reply to Beth Simon's Inquiry

On Wed, 5 Nov 1997, MELISSA S. SMITH wrote:

> Since we are talking about unusual sayings, I'd like someone to tell me
> the origin of "What can I do ya for?" I've heard this a lot lately and
> it gets on my nerves. It has a rude undertone that I don't like. Where
> did this come from?

I think it's a corruption of "What can I do for ya?", an informal business
greeting.

Tom Head
tlh[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]netdoor.com
http://www2.netdoor.com/~tlh

"The first duty in life is to be as artificial as possible.
 What the second duty is, no one has yet discovered."
                      -- Oscar Wilde