A "plum pudding" and a "football" not in OED

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM
Sun Jul 27 21:34:20 UTC 2008


[1916 "Ian Hay" _The First Hundred Thousand_ 280: Upon its upturned muzzle is poised a bomb having the appearance of a plum pudding on a stick. This he discharges over the parapet into the German trenches.]
 
1916-17 Bernard Adams _Nothing of Importance_ (London: Methuen, 1917) 108: You suddenly have to supply a party to carry "footballs" up to Rue Albert for the trench-mortar man.
 
1918 Donald M. McCrae_Offensive Fighting_ (Philadelphia: Lippincott) 39: In fact the 60-pound trench mortar ("plum pudding") is the best wire cutter we [of the Canadian Expeditionary Force] have at present.
 
1921 Frederick William Bewsher _The History of the 51st (Highland Division) 1914-1918_ (Edinburgh: Blackwood) 38: The 2-inch trench-mortar fired a bomb exactly similar in shape to the hammer used in Highland games in "throwing the hammer." For this reason it was known to the troops as "Donald Dinnie." It was also known as the "Plum Pudding" or "Football."




------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list