Skin in the Game

[Marc Velasco]

Possible new lines should be traced:

The Skins Game in golf is probably related to the phrase.  The event goes
back to 1983, although its informal use is likely earlier.

http://golf.about.com/od/historyofgolf/f/hfaq_skins.htm



On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 11:11 PM, Baker, John <JMB at stradley.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Skin in the Game
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I took it back to 1991 last year, see =
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=3Dind0704C&L=3DADS-L&P=3DR=
> 4064&I=3D-3<http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=3Dind0704C&L=3DADS-L&P=3DR=4064&I=3D-3>.
>  It seems to come from business, with the implication that =
> the actor is putting his own hide at risk.  Here's an example from the =
> New York Times, 12/23/1987 (via Westlaw):
> =20
> =20
> "As much as I.B.M.'s planning is defensive as it is offensive, they had =
> a lot of interest in preventing Steve Chen's technology from falling =
> into foreign hands," said Jeffrey Canin, an analyst with Hambrecht & =
> Quist. Although I.B.M. has research projects in parallel processing =
> under way at several universities and company sites, today's agreement =
> is "putting a little more I.B.M. skin in the game, a commitment of =
> technology, funding and personnel," he added.
> =20
> =20
> =20
> John Baker
> =20
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Douglas G. Wilson
> Sent: Wed 9/3/2008 10:54 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Skin in the Game
>
>
>
> This was discussed a little on this list about a year ago. The 1992 Ross
> Perot quote was mentioned. Google News Archive search turns up a few
> instances dated from the late 1980's but the links are all useless (to
> me) so I can't verify.
>
> It seems that "a little skin" here =3D "a small stake". Maybe the basic
> idea is that if one won't risk his life/ass/fortune he might still risk
> a little bit of his 'skin'.  The superficial 'feel' of the expression
> (to me) is that of pseudo-good-old-boy quasi-machismo (but maybe I'm FOS
> again).
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org