"Field Hockey" Not in OED

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 11/10/06, Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> I notice that there are no citations in OED for the common sports name
> "field hockey," although the term is mentioned in a definition for
> "hockey."

Ah, so "field hockey" is actually a retronym, applied after the
development of ice hockey to the game that was previously known simply
as "hockey". MWCD11 dates "field hockey" to 1903, but here it is from
1895:

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1895 _Milwaukee Sentinel_ 13 Jan. 13/7 Field hockey is less common and
is a slightly different game. ... It is much easier than ice hockey,
because anyone can run after the puck; whereas it takes skill to skate
after it and maintain a balance while you swing your stick to hit it.
[19th C US Newspapers]
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--Ben Zimmer

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