For Derb: When did the phrase “or else?” become a threat without need of finishing the sentence? Presumably at some point people would say “…or else we will cut out your tongue!” Or, “…or else, we will sew a ferret into your small intestine.” When did the threat become implied? Was it a Shakespearean construction or deconstruction? Alas, unlike your Abbot and Costello question I have no idea what the answer is.