Antedating of chump(1934)

Benjamin Zimmer bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU
Sun Jul 29 00:40:55 UTC 2007


Quoting Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM>:
>
> From: "Benjamin Zimmer" <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
>
> > Quoting Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM>:
> >>
> >> HDAS has 1945.
> >>
> >> Using Newspaperarchive _Centralia(WA) Daily Chronicle_   23 May 1934, =
> >> pg. 6  (An article about a wrestling match).
> >>
> >> "The winning fall was partly to the credit of Our Nick, the referee, who
> >> fell atop Cox in the thrid round and held him until Shanahan joined the
> >> dogpile."
> >
> > Don't leave us hanging-- where's the chump? (Or is this antedating
> > something else?)
>
> That'll teach me to have two windows open at the same time.  :(
>
> Guess I'm the chump.
>
> It was an antedating of "dogpile"


The noun "dog-pile" is now in OED from 1921 (Mar. 2007 draft additions). The
verb is still at 1945.


--Ben Zimmer

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