Tony and John, I thought for sure that
LAST MAN STANDING would show up in some slang, catch phrase, . . . dictionary, but I found not a mention, zilch, nada. So, here is what I was able to scrape together.
The following is my definition, which is in agreement with yours:
LAST MAN STANDING: The last surviving person in a competition, incident, event, battle of attrition, etc.; sole survivor, the only one left; the winner
In my view, the most likely possibility for the expression’s origin is that it is a shortening of
LAST MAN LEFT STANDING which, beginning in 19th century, was used to refer to the winner of a competition/contest as, for example, a military cadet drill competition (1878 quote) or a spelling bee (1913 quote) or possibly even a brawl (no quote). It was also used in discussions of military battle and it is still used in this way today (1891, 2005, 2008 quote):
Quote:
<1878 “These two prizes will be given to the LAST MAN LEFT STANDING among those who contest.”—Daily Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia), 2 August, page 4> [[military cadet drill contest]]
<1891 “And these were the Spartan daughters of Spartan fathers who never knew defeat in war so long as there was a LAST MAN LEFT STANDING on the field of battle.”— Manufacturer and Builder, Volume 23, Issue 2 page 30>
<1913 “. . . as Mr. Willis was the LAST MAN LEFT STANDING he was properly declared the winner.”—Indianapolis Star, 29 June, page 24> [[national spelling bee held in Washington, DC.]]
<2005 “. . . a war of attrition developed in the west where the opposing forces of Germany, France, and Britain, . . . ground each other down with rising levels of losses. In battles that were intended to be won by the LAST MAN LEFT STANDING, resources counted for almost everything.”—The Economics of World War I by Broadberry & Harrison, 2 August, page 3>
<2008 “‘He [[U.S. presidential candidate John McCain]] was the LAST MAN LEFT STANDING’ after the Florida primary, said Ed Rogers, a veteran Republican operative who is not working for any campaign this time.”—International Herald Tribune, 6 February>
The earliest example I could find where the exact phrase
LAST MAN STANDING was used, where it looked as though it was actually a set phrase (and not just part of something else, e.g. the ‘last man standing in the line’) was from 1898. However, it sure wasn't used a heck of a lot, until later in the 20th century:
Quote:
<1898 “Still it is the army that has the LAST MAN STANDING that usually wins the fight.”—New York Times, 9 August, page 5>
<1966 “However, in Ko Ha Ku competition for men, a wrestler from the North was the LAST MAN STANDING. In this competition, a contestant remains in action as long as he keeps winning.” —New York Times, 20 November, page S4>
<1976 “Becker retained all the errors of Adam’s painting by depicting Custer as long-haired, fighting with a sword, and the LAST MAN STANDING.”—The Western Historical Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 1, January, page 29>
<1987 “He [[Judge Robert Bork]] had the misfortune to be the LAST MAN STANDING in the ‘Saturday night massacre,’ after Elliot Richardson and Bill Ruckelshaus resigned from the Justice Department rather than obey Nixon's order to fire Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor.’”—The Boston Globe (Massachusetts), 23 July>
<1990 “Are you the LAST MAN STANDING? Tell us, Daddy! . . . He issues a slight smile. Otherwise he is not answering. But the boys know the answer. They know that the Father is the LAST MAN STANDING. They are sure of it. Everyone knows.”—Last Man Standing by George Chambers, page 141>
<1994 “‘That leaves Bill Perry as the LAST MAN STANIDING,’ said one senior Pentagon official, adding that Mr. Perry would be an excellent choice.”—New York Times, 22 January>
<1999 “An election wasn't about issues or civics. It was all about being the LAST MAN STANDING.”—Newsweek, 29 November>
<2004 “Aides admit that Mr Blair would take a ‘short-term hit’ from a Kerry victory because the Prime Minister would be portrayed as the ‘LAST MAN STANDING’ who led his country to war in Iraq.”— Belfast Telegraph (Northern Ireland), 3 November>
<2008 “Mitt Romney already is positioning himself to try again if the nomination is open. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee went from nobody to LAST MAN STANDING against McCain this time, and he could well be back.”—Associated Press Online, 31 August>
One last interesting image that also comes to mind is the
LAST MAN STANDING after a night of excessive drinking. And, in fact, I actually found a 1970 reference to this in a new book on H. S. Thompson, the father of ‘
gonzo journalism’ who recently passed away:
Quote:
<2008 “Gonzo. Perhaps derived from the French Canadian gonzeaux. The word had a couple of different meanings, but Bill Cardoso used it in the Boston-bar derivation [[1970]], referring to the LAST MAN STANDING after a night of drinking. Gonzo had a nice ring.”—Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson by William McKeen, page 150>
(quotes are from archived sources)
______________________
Ken – September 4, 2008
