fan the ozone (1890), ozoned (1903)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

* _fan_ (or _whiff_, _stroke_, etc.) _the ozone_ 'strike out (swinging)'

1890 _Boston Globe_ 4 Apr. 4/6 At his first time to bat in the fifth,
Doyle, the new pitcher, fanned the ozone.

1891 _Boston Globe_ 1 Jul. 5/3 (heading) Fanning the ozone. Boston could
do no hitting and lost the game.

1894 _Boston Globe_ 8 May 7/2 Duffy banged away at the ozone three times
and got the laugh from the crowd.

1895 _Olean Democrat_ (N.Y.) 7 May 3/4 Farrell fanned the ozone thrice,
and took a back seat calm and nice.

1895 _Washington Post_ 14 Sep. 4/1 Seven Brooklynites swiped the ozone in
their twenty-four turns at the bat, and each and every one has chalked
opposite his name in the base hit column a little goose egg.

1897 _Boston Globe_ 25 Apr. 2/1 Collins started the second inning by
taking first on being hit by a pitched ball. Lowe forced him at second.
Tucker fanned the ozone.

1901 _Washington Post_ 28 Jul. 8/3 Dungan sent the leather to right, and
Pop Foster, who had stroked the ozone twice, gave Hogriever and Duffy a
chase to the fence for his three-bagger.

1901 _Washington Post_ 25 Aug. 8/3 Dungan was on third in the eighth and
Grady on first with one out, but Foster stroked the ozone, and Coughlin
tossed a little grounder to Reidy.

1903 _Atlanta Constitution_ 9 Jul. 9/4 He let them down with only one hit,
and caused four of their heaviest hitters to vainly cleave the ozone.

1905 _Washington Post_ 11 Jun. (Sporting) 1/6 White partook of the ozone,
and Simon rapped out a single, scoring Hart.

1907 _Washington Post_ 9 Oct. 2/4 Evers put him on second with a
sacrifice, whereat Schaefer threw out Schulte, and Tinker whipped the
ozone.

1909 _Nebraska State Journal_ 7 Aug. 3/1 Dr. Welch whiffed the ozone for
the second out.

1910 _Washington Post_ 23 Mar. 9/4 He caused five of the Cincinnatis to
whiff the ozone.

1910 _New York Times_ 20 Jul. 10/1 Ford made Dodo whiff the ozone.



* _ozone_, v. 'strike out (swinging)'

1903 _Washington Post_ 12 Apr. III8/2 "Ozoned" is this year's term for a
strikeout. The men who are the victims have other names for it.

1905 _Washington Post_ 23 Jul. (Sporting) 2/2 Sheckels came very near
equaling the strike-out record of the league in his game with Aloysius.
Edminston had seventeen, and Sheckels caused thirteen to ozone.

1909 _Washington Post_ 17 Aug. 9/3 (subheading) Last Man Ozoned. ... The
"swellest" guesser in the wide, wide world couldn't have told at any stage
of the game where the victory would land until E. Pierce, ultrafamiliarly
called "Eddie," had fanned the last man, closing the combat.



--Ben Zimmer