T-bone, the verb (and corresponding noun)

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Thu Dec 23 21:04:01 UTC 2010


>"Prosecutors said Gallo, who was on parole for a felony DUI
>conviction, had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal
>limit when he blew through a red light at 65 m.p.h. on April 9,
>2009, and T-boned the car carrying Adenhart and three
>friends."  [Gallo has just been sentenced to 51 years to life for
>each of three murder counts (15 to life each) and other charges (6
>years).]  Boston Globe, Dec. 23, 2010, page C2, col. 1, "Sports
>Log".  [Not attributed.]

T-bone, s.v. T in the OED, is only the steak.  There is however s.v.
"rollover, n." the following quotation (noun attrib.):

1955    Sun (Baltimore) 19 July 17/6   Crash rollovers, head on
collisions and T-bone crashes.

1)  The verb.

The image wasn't clear to me -- although I could imagine -- but there
is (Google Books, preview):

"In his second accident he was "T-boned" or broadsided by a dump
truck."  [Never say always: perspectives on safety belt use - Page
49. John Peter Rothe, Peter J. Cooper - 1988.]

Searching GB for "T-boned" (quoted) + "crash" shows 1975:  "T-boned
him, in racing parlance"  [Snippet, n.p.: The world's number one,
flat-out, all-time great, stock car racing ... .  Jerry
Bledsoe].  And an alleged No preview 1974 Motor Trend instance, vol. 26.

2)  The noun.  (I didn't find anything as early as the OED's 1955.)

GBooks for "t-bone" (quoted) + "crash".  (It amazes me how many
occurrences GB finds that combine a crash with T-bone steak.)

Snippet, alleged 1973, and a journal:  "A T-bone crash with a pair of
motor- homes exceeds the limits of my vivid imagination and would
surely."  [The Autocar: a journal published in the interests of the
...: Volume 139]

Joel

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