By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Feb 10, 2009 at 8:04 PM

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Occasionally, I find myself saying "drink up, Johnny," and I really don’t know what this means or where the expression comes from. It turns out the usually enlightening Wikipedia doesn’t know, either, so I turn to you, the fine readers of OnMilwaukee.com, for information.

"Drink up, Johnny" might be a variation of "smoke up, Johnny," which is a line from the "The Breakfast Club." However, I intuitively feel the expression is older than this popular film from the ‘80s.

Any idea where the expression originated? 


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.