any clues

[Dave Wilton]

It's not in Green's Dictionary of Slang. (The more I use the new Green's,
the less impressed I am with it. It's not a bad source, it's just that
between the extant volumes of HDAS and the OED, it's largely redundant.
Rarely does it contain info that is not available elsewhere and frequently
its terms can be antedated in other published sources.)

While it doesn't help with the origin, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (3rd,
2009) has a 1955 first cite of "pier six free-for-all" in a baseball
context. The dictionary also points to the 1955 movie "Riot on Pier Six," an
alternate title for "New Orleans Uncensored," as a popularizing factor.


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Garson O'Toole
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2012 2:03 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: any clues

Jon Lighter probably has valuable material in his files. I would certainly
look in Green's Dictionary of Slang but I do not have ready access to it.

The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
(2006) has an entry with start date of 1929 and cites beginning in
2000:

pier six brawl     noun
an all-out brawl      US. 1929

I was unable to find the phrase in the OED.
Sam Clements indicates that he has found a cite in 1928. Here is a cite in
1926:

Cite: 1926 October 14, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, British Welter Defeats
Darden At Mitchel Field, Page A3, Column 3, Brooklyn New York.
(Old Fulton)

[Begin excerpt]
Wilson Yarco, 156 pounds, of Oyster Bay and Arthur Lummy. 150 pounds, of
Rockville Center, engaged in a regular Pier 6 brawl, with Yarco getting the
nod of the Judges at the end of six frantic frames. It was slambang all the
way, with both boys trying to knock each other's head off with a single
punch.
[End excerpt]

Below is a citation that may provide some evidence about the etymology.

Cite: 1941 December 11, Oswego Palladium-Times Suggests Double Daylight
Saving by Hugh Fullerton, Jr. [Wide Words Sports Columnist], Page 13, Column
7, Oswego, New York. (Old Fulton) [Remark: Date is difficult to read; The
December 11 dateline on the article is legible;
1941 is year given in database; December 11, 1941 is a Thursday and Thursday
is legible]

[Begin excerpt]
Ever hear of a Pier Six brawl in tennis? Well, what used to be Pier 6,
Tompkinsville, Staten Island, has been turned into a recreation center and a
couple of major indoor tennis events may be held here.
[End excerpt]

There are several caveats: The author may not know the correct etymology.
The interpretation he seems to suggest may be based on a coincidental name:
Pier Six. This article appeared in 1941, i.e., many years after 1926 when
the phrase was already in circulation.

Please check for typos,
Garson

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