ok, that's interesting. China had a lot of famines though: 7 from 1900-1962: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wik

ok, that's interesting. China had a lot of famines though: 7 from 1900-1962: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines_in_China So I wouldn't be quick to rule out the idea that the phrase started with a famine in China. I am American btw. But I wasn't alive in 1970.