Appendix:Snowclones/X, and all I got was this lousy Y

English

Phrase

X, and all I got was this lousy Y

1. (snowclone, slang, humorous) Indicating that a person who participated in a particular situation, or is connected to people who participated in that situation, only received some token item from that participation (most commonly a T-shirt).
   • 1981, Omni, Volume 4, p. 123:

     A crippled beggar with crutches and a cup stands on a street corner wearing a T-shirt that reads "I went to Lourdes and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."

   • 1982, Sarah Cullen, In Praise of Panic, p. 170:

     We bought one for our brother Jo which read 'My brother and sister went to Israel and all I got was this lousy T-shirt'.

   • 1997, Patrick Dillon, Truth, p. 50:

     Scattered across the desk there was an old-fashioned telephone, some dog-eared police files and a mug that said, 'My son went to New York and all I got was this lousy mug'.

   • 2001, Z Magazine, Volume 14, p. 2:

     My parents retired to Florida and all I got was this lousy President.

   • 2003, Kate McMullan, Knight for a Day #5, p. A-57:

     Black letters on it spelled out: My brother met Sir Lancelot and all I got was this lousy tunic.