"His cake is all 'dough'" (1860)--Query

[Mark A. Mandel]

Gerald Cohen <gcohen at UMR.EDU> wrote:

        >>>

    What does this last clause mean?

>Then "Bispham" comes next, you'd expect from his looks,
>He was given to study, addicted to books,
>       And you'd little suspect there was much in the man,
>       Till you saw him at play -- then beat him who can.
>His favorite position is on the first base,
>And he stands like a statue, always right about face,
>       With his hands in a pair of thick gloves all encased,
>       Which never miss holding the ball once embraced.
>And I pity the 'batter' who when the ball's fair,
>If its short, tries to make the 'first base' when he's there.
>       The 'batter' itself may be good enough -- though
>       He's sure to be put out, and his cake is all 'dough.'

        <<<


"Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> responded:

        >>>
Just a speculation. "Dough" = the cake before it becomes a cake. So "his
cake is dough" means "his cake is in the making" or "his cake has begun
to be prepared". In this case, it means more or less "his doom is
sealed".  The "all" is a superfluous intensifier, I speculate.
        <<<

It's a pun on "'batter'", which is used in quotes twice just before.
Merriam-Webster Online distinguishes "batter" from "dough" by
ingredients and thickness:

        >>>
batter:

1 a : a mixture consisting chiefly of flour, egg, and milk or water and
being thin enough to pour or drop from a spoon


dough:

1 : a mixture that consists essentially of flour or meal and a liquid
(as milk or water) and is stiff enough to knead or roll
        <<<

AFAIK "batter" is used for lighter baked goods, like cakes and pastries,
than "dough", which is used for bread. So if you try to bake a cake out
of dough instead of batter, you won't succeed.

I don't know how "first base" is meant to figure in the word play. It's
in quotes in the last four lines, which are built around the pun, but
not in its literal use in line 5 of the quoted section.

-- Mark A. Mandel
   Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania