"Puck" (hockey puck) from the verb (bat)

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Thu Oct 19 05:44:58 UTC 2006


As a WAG, is there, perhaps, a connection to "poke"?

-Wilson

On 10/17/06, Bapopik at aol.com <Bapopik at aol.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject:      "Puck" (hockey puck) from the verb (bat)
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>
> 6 March 1890, Ohio Democrat (New Philadelphia, PA), pg. 4, col. 2:
> ALL ABOUT HURLING
> An Interesting Game That Was Played in
> Ireland Centuries Ago.
> (...)
> But it can be caught when off the ground, and then the hurler can bat it,  o=
> r=20
> as it is termed, "puck" it, in any direction. When the ball is driven over =20
> the goal line outside the "points" a free "puck" is allowed.
> (...)
> --N. Y. Mail and Express.
> ...
> ...
> ...
> (OED)
> puck, v.
> =20
> Hence puck  n.4 (dial.), a stroke; a  stroke at the ball in the Irish game o=
> f=20
> hurling; pucking vbl.  n. and ppl. a. =20
> 1900  19th Cent. XLVIII. 306 The rival  hurlers..meet together in wild=20
> rivalry for a puck at the ever flying ball. 1906  _SOMERVILLE_=20
> (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-s3.html#somerville)   & _ROSS_=20
> (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-r2.html#ross)  Irish Yesterdays 95,=
>  I gave  William a puck in=20
> the chest. 1922  _JOYCE_ (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-j.html#joy=
> ce) =20
> Ulysses 247 One puck in the  wind..would knock you into the middle of next=20
> week. 1934  _J.  O'HARA_=20
> (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-o.html#j-ohara)  Appointment in Sam=
> arra (1935) iii. 80 What he should of done was give you a=20
> puck in the mouth when you  threw the drink at him. 1961  _=E2=80=98F.  O'BR=
> IEN=E2=80=99_=20
> (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-o.html#f-obrien)   Hard Life ii. 18=
> =20
> Many a good  puck I had myself in the quondam days of my nonage. 1979  N. SM=
> YTHE=20
> in E. Berman Ten of Best Brit. Short Plays 120 I'll give you a puck in the g=
> ob=20
> in short order,  mate.
>
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