From an online etymological resource:
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who's your daddy?/who's yer daddy?/who's ya daddy?
- (effectively) I control you -
the Who's Your Daddy? expression has many subtle variations. Opinions are divided, and usage varies, between two main meanings, whose roots can be traced back to mid-late 1800's, although the full expression seems to have evolved in the 1900's. The full 'Who's Your daddy? expression is likely to have originated in USA underworld and street cultures. The main variations are:
- I've looked/I'm looking after you, or taken/taking care of you, possibly in a sexually suggestive or sexually ironic way. This alludes to the 'sugar-daddy' term from late 19th century USA, which is based on the image of an older man giving (candy) reward in return for intimacy, either to a younger woman/mistress or younger gay male lover.
- I've beaten you/I'm beating you, at something, and you are defenceless. This alludes to parental dominance and authority, and at its extreme, to intimacy with the victim's/opponent's mother.
The use of the expression as a straight insult, where the meaning is to question a person's parentage, is found, but this would not have been the origin, and is a more recent retrospectively applied meaning.
The sexual undertow and sordid nature of the expression has made this an appealing expression in the underworld, prison etc.
In much of the expression's common usage the meanings seem to converge, in which the hybrid 'feel' is one of (sexual) domination/control/intimacy in return for payment/material reward/safety/protection.
Daddy has many other slang uses which would have contributed to the dominant/paternalistic/authoritative/sexual-contract feel of the expression, for example:
- the best/biggest/strongest one of anything (the daddy of them all)
- a prostitute's pimp or boyfriend
- a leading prisoner (through intimidation) at a borstal
Well, sure--"who's your daddy" is fairly mainstream "I'm beating you at something" now, but...as I said, Daddy/boy (or boi) relationships are a little more meaning to that phrase...
And here I keep thinking about D'Argo.
I'm so out of the loop.
Ahahahaha!
Honestly, I think the vast majority of people think it has to do with "sugar daddy" and are utterly oblivious to any influence of sexual dominance of the more direct sort. It's a power and an "I'm da man" thing, as in the guy cackling "Who's your daddy?" as he scoops up the poker pot.
I think so, too. And I am quite fond of the sordid underbelly of sexual practices. But whenever I hear it, I think of it in a sugar daddy way, or an I'm-the-MAN! way.
DUDE. I'm now gonna be skeeved every time Keith says "Who's your daddy?" to Veronica. Wahh! My favorite father-daughter relationship on TV! Ruined!
Bwhahah! And on Veronica Mars just now, a criminal said (re: Veronica) "wouldn't mind having HER call me Daddy!"
DUDE. I'm now gonna be skeeved every time Keith says "Who's your daddy?" to Veronica. Wahh! My favorite father-daughter relationship on TV! Ruined!
Does it make it more or less skeevy
that he might not really be
?
That just makes it poignant.
Uhm... less skeevy. No, more. Damn, I don't know.
I'm gonna sit in my little bubble where I shall just ignore the ooky origin of the expression. Denial is my middle name.
I am now obliged to add the phrase "This inhales excessively!" to my repertoire.
I blame the internets.
Because the phrase has burrowed up from the subculture and is widely kicked around with etymological ignorance of its origin.
Well, if it predated the subculture, and is used entirely without knowledge of it, perhaps it's just parallel.
For me, if Joe answers "Me" to Carol's "Who's your daddy?" it also means that Joe is Carol's bitch.
I think the first time it burnt into my brain was
Chasing Amy,
in probably my favourite Affleck moment ever.
