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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