"drop" in sports: lose (1884), defeat (1920)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:29:08 -0700, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
>
>>The cites below are from a quick search on Proquest headlines -- earlier
>>examples can no doubt be found without much difficulty.
>>
>>* drop = 'lose (a game)'
>>
>>-----
>>Union Nine Drops Its First Game to the Hun Representatives.
>>Boston Globe, May 25, 1884, p. 3
>>-----
>
>Ben, who are the "Hun representatives" in 1884 ?

Sorry, that was a mis-scanning by Proquest that I neglected to
double-check.  The actual headline reads:
"St. Louis Union Nine Drops Its First Game to the Hub Representatives."

The "Hub Representatives" were the Boston baseball team (then known as the
Beaneaters or simply the Bostons, eventually known as the Braves).


--Ben Zimmer