Atari (1908)

[Benjamin Barrett]

Not in the OED.

On Google, "atari" gets 58.8 million raw Googits, many of those are for the company name or for its products. I do not see it being used metaphorically, though its widespread use for the game of go may merit listing in the dictionary.

1. 1908 description

"The game of go: the national game of Japan," Arthur Smith, Moffat, Yard & company, page 44 (http://ow.ly/69WSw)

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It is a rule of the game to give warning when a stone or group of stones is about to be completely surrounded. For this purpose the Japanese use the word "Atari" (from "ataru," to touch lightly), which corresponds quite closely to the expression "gardez" in Chess.
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2. 2009

Other than books on go (where citations start becoming common in the 1970s), the only citation I find for "atari" in Google Books is a novel where go is being played.

"Everything Under the Sky," by Matilde Asensi, Harper Collins, page 123 (http://ow.ly/69Xms)

The "24" is a footnote reference.

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"In _atari_,24 in check..." Paddy Tichborne tried unsuccessfully to explain. "When the next move threatens to capture stones that are surrounded everywhere but the spot that's about to be taken--"
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Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

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