Buzz
Political journalist and author Elizabeth Drew once attended a cocktail party in Washington D.C., where she tried a chopped liver hors d'oeuvre and declared it 'delicious.' She then wondered, 'Why do people put it down so much?'
The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang traces comedian Jimmy Durante as the first person to use this meaty metaphor to describe something unimportant or deserving of mockery. On his CBS-TV show, he famously remarked, 'Now that ain’t chopped liver.'
Even before that, Joey Adams featured this phrase in his 1949 novel *The Curtain Never Falls* in a scene where a (fictional) comedian, Jackie Mason, converses with a hurt showgirl who is upset by his indifference.
“You’ve been kind, but what am I, chopped liver or something?” “Are you serious? You’re the most attractive person here. But you always seem more focused on all the losers.”
Ohr Somayach’s *Ask the Rabbi* column explains that chopped liver suffers from 'always a bridesmaid, never the bride' syndrome. On a traditional Jewish table, it’s typically an appetizer or side dish, complementing the main course, but never the star. To simplify it: When picking teams, brisket is the first choice, and everyone else is chopped liver.
