Query: "pull off the tent button" (1912)

[vida morkunas]

not to mention 'snuffed all their ginger out'.

poetic!

who burns ginger, so that it needs snuffing out?

Vida.
vidamorkunas at telus.net



-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of Gerald Cohen
Sent: August 26, 2003 3:25 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Query: "pull off the tent button" (1912)


   While reading through old baseball columns I've noticed some
unusual expressions. One of them--"pull off the tent button"--is in
the _Oregon Sunday Journal_ April 7, 1912, section 4, p. 10, col. 1.
Article title: "Angels Knock Ben Henderson's Smile Off In Terrific 3
to 2 Game":

        "The Angels collected six safe hits off Henderson in the
fourth and fifth innings.  This grapeshot stuff silenced the
Champions [i.e., Portland, league champions in 1910, 1911] and
snuffed all their ginger out.  It might have been worse, a whole lot
worse.  The game was not nearly as close as the figures would
indicated.  The way the Dillonites are lacing the ball around the
park and pulling off the tent button shows the stuff they are made
of."

    Would anyone be familiar with this expression? And why would
pulling off a tent button express outstanding performance.

Gerald Cohen