"sling arms" (not in OED2) -- [1749], 1824

[Amy West]

On 4/17/14, 12:00 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
> Date:    Wed, 16 Apr 2014 16:27:24 -0400
> From:    "Joel S. Berson"<Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject: Re: "sling arms" (not in OED2) -- [1749], 1824
>
> Dan,
>
> I think this is the best interpretation yet.  I don't find "sl?ng*
> arm*" in the OED or "sling arms" before 1824 ("Constitution of the
> New England Guards", p. 54, a command) in GBooks.  But John Gittins's
> "A compleat System of Military Discipline" (1735), p. 14, does have a
> command "Sling your Firelock" (certainly an Arm) -- hang the firelock
> and "let fall your Hands to your Sides".
>
> Joel
It makes sense as a command for long firearms as they have slings on
them. Not so much for spear & sword, and I haven't heard a command like
that in 1630s pike drill.

---Amy West

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