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drpaladin
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The general consensus is zilch first originated in 1920's college and theater slang. 

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Bill W
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My research came up with a different origin.  First of all, Zilch is a German surname of Slavic origin.  

The usage became popular in the 1960s due to a comic character, Mr. Zilch,  in the magazine Ballyhoo. 

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Bill W
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@Myr's example was "The divorce left him with zilch." 

All I have to say to that is, been there, done that.   

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drpaladin
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13 minutes ago, Bill W said:

My research came up with a different origin.  First of all, Zilch is a German surname of Slavic origin.  

The usage became popular in the 1960s due to a comic character, Mr. Zilch,  in the magazine Ballyhoo. 

The appearance in Ballyhoo was in 1933. Ballyhoo folded for its second and final time in 1954.

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CarlHoliday

On January 3, 1972, Henry Kissinger sent a Top Secret assessment of North Vietnamese hostile activity in Laos and South Vietnam to President Nixon. The President’s handwritten response on the document says that the result of decade long U.S. air superiority in Laos and South Vietnam “= Zilch”. He thinks there is something wrong with Air Force strategy and wants an explanation for that deficiency in two weeks.

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