gymnick

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:42 PM -0400 5/31/10, George Thompson wrote:
>A letter to the Morning Courier & New-York Enquirer (October 8,
>1831, p. 2, col. 4) puffing a gymnasium in the city, from "one who
>has long experienced the benefits of its exercises", is signed "A
>Gymnick".
>
>The OED has two meaning for this word: 1: a synonym for the
>adjective "gymnasic", as in "the gymnic games"; 2: a synonym for the
>noun "gymnastics", as in "Provided it would not impair thy
>strength,..which these gymnics inordinately taken are apt to do."
>
>Here it is used to mean "one who performs gymnastic exercises",
>which include pole-vaulting, quoit pitching and the parallel bars.
>
Seems like it should also be able to mean 'nudist', given its etymology.

LH

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