![]() ![]() ![]() It has been claimed that Mark Twain named Huckleberry Finn for the idiom. In Doc’s case, it meant also, “I’m ready to fight.” Normally, the expression seemed to be in response to a need. I’m your huckleberry basically means I’m the man for the job, or I’m your man, you can count on me. A related idiom, a huckleberry over my persimmon was used to mean that something was beyond someone’s ability. According to the Google Books Ngram viewer here, the earliest reference cataloged is from 1850.Īlthough, I’m your huckleberry was probably used in various ways. The expression itself appeared in print as early as 1853. It was Doc Holliday who uttered the unfamiliar phrase to the character Johnny Ringo: “I’m your huckleberry, that’s just my game.” Whether or not Doc Holliday went around saying this all the time, we do not know, but it was used in the 1929 book Tombstone, by Walter Noble Burns. This movie was another in a long line of movies about Wyatt Earp and events in Tombstone, Arizona during the 188Os, including the famous “Shootout at the OK Corral.” The idiom I’m your huckleberry, in modern times, was made famous in the movie Tombstone from 1993, starring Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer. Huckleberries, since they are so small, came to be used figuratively to describe anything minor or of little importance. “You need someone to work your store? I’m your huckleberry.” Originĭuring the early 1800s, this idiom derived from the name of a wild blue to black colored berry, similar to the blueberry, the huckleberry, which grows primarily in the southeast of the United States. “I’m your huckleberry,” Doc Holliday said to Johnny Ringo. “I’m your huckleberry,” replied a young man on the street. “A penny for whoever will unload my supplies,” said the man with the wagon. It could mean simply “I’m the man for the job” but it also could be somewhat self-deprecating, calling on the tiny size of the American Huckleberry. This idiom would have been and is used in various ways, including as a response to anyone looking for help or someone to do work, etc. Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? Subscribe to our YouTube channel!Īlthough this idiom is not as common as it was during the 1800s, I have been informed by YouTube viewers that it is still heard in some areas of the south, such as Alabama and Georgia. ![]()
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