In his post to "hat hanging" in Miscellany, Jazz declares Cincinnatti ice cream the best in the world. Does anyone know the origin of this illogical (or unempirical) phrase? PT Barnum? A green neon sign once ubiquitous in the coffee shoppes of Manhattan declared each served the "best coffee in the world," leaving little hope.

Maybe it's the same world which the World Series is representative of!

Yes, insel...you often see the phrase "world famous" used in the same context. For instance, many restaurants will advertise their dishes as "World Famous Crab Cakes," etc.,
a restaurant that is known only to a small region of people.
Isn't it just marketing hyperbole?


The Only WO'N!

just marketing hyperbole?

That's the World Hyperbole to you, jimmy :)

<<Isn't it just marketing hyperbole?>>

Yes of course it is; what I want to know is, who was the world's first to use it.

Insel, I was just wondering if it had actually ever been deliberately coined, or just showed up in general usage at a particular time. I popped, "The Best in the World," into Atomica and got this interesting response:

on earth

1. Also, in creation; in the world. Ever, anywhere, of all possible things. These phrases are all used for emphasis in questions or, less often, in a negative context. For example, What on earth is he doing with a spade? or Where in creation did that child go? or How in the world do you expect me to carry all those bags? [Late 1700s]
2. like nothing on earth. Incomparable. For example, That perfume smells like nothing on earth, or Her new hair color is like nothing on earth. [c. 1900]

--The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

Like nothing on earth may be the clue to the query here, the original phrase that also became "The Best in the World" and "World Famous." I know like nothing on earth was a favorite call of carnival barkers and the like in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Tough to pinpoint a specific instance of original coinage, though. I'll try "World Famous" and see what turns up.

The Only WO'N!