"Dead man's float" (and not in OED)

[sclements at NEO.RR.COM]

1918 in N'Archive.


---- ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Periodical: Boys' Life
> Date: July 1923
> Article: Swimming and Diving
> Author: James J. O'Rourke
> Quote Page: 15
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=VAu8xVoIXY4C&q=%22man%27s+float%22#v=snippet&
>
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> The dead man's float in the water with eyes on backs of hands is
> diving form, too. Try it. Stretch toes and hands away out.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Sun, Jun 1, 2014 at 7:47 PM, David Barnhart <dbarnhart at highlands.com> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       David Barnhart <dbarnhart at HIGHLANDS.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: "Dead man's float" (and not in OED)
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > I first heard _dead-man's float_ in the late 1940's (probably 1948 or so.
> > My recollection is that it was face-down in the water so it didn't matter if
> > you breathed or not.  You were supposedly dead.  It's the position
> > instructors liked to start out young inexperienced swimmers (such as
> > myself).
> >
> > Regards and Happy June,
> >
> > David
> >
> > barnhart at highlands.com
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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