Query: "lead his left scissors"

[Bob Haas]

I think I'm developing brain fart of the fingers.  Make that "this week" and
"an allusion."  Jiminy Cricket!

> From: Bob Haas <highbob at mindspring.com>
> Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 10:14:02 -0400
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Query: "lead his left scissors"
>
> Maybe the writer was attempting to employ a boxing metaphor, which should
> have made the quote something like:  "Manager Del is prepared to lead [with]
> his left scissors the week," in allusion to a boxer "leading with his left."
>
>> From: Gerald Cohen <gcohen at UMR.EDU>
>> Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 18:55:23 -0600
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Query: "lead his left scissors"
>>
>> The quote below is from the newspaper  _The San Francisco Bulletin_
>> (March 24, 1913, p.16/6)  and contains the words "lead his left scissors."
>> The reference is to the manager of the S.F. Seals  (a minor league baseball
>> team) having to reduce his squad to the prescribed number for the start of
>> the regular season.
>>
>> But why "lead" here, and why "left"? Would anyone have an idea?
>> Here's the quote:
>>
>> "As matters stand now Manager Del [Howard] is prepared to lead his left
>> scissors this week and lop off six or seven members of the squad.  In all
>> twelve must be gotten rid of, but Del has plenty of time to sift the list
>> down to the last remaining unfortunate."
>>
>> ---Gerald Cohen
>>
>>
>>
>> gcohen at umr.edu