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

[Dan Goncharoff]

I am getting confused by the discussion -- why wouldn't a sword be carried
in a sling, and therefore be 'slung'?

DanG


On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 1:08 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "sling arms" (not in OED2) -- [1749], 1824
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 4/17/2014 10:53 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> >Presumably the collocation long preceded the command.
>
> It would be good to check EEBO and ECCO for "sling arms" and
> variants.  My limited search did not find it at an early date in GBooks.
>
>
> >One could easily sling a bow and a quiver, for example.
>
> True, the bow hoist by its own petard (so to speak) rather than a
> separate sling.
>
> Joel
>
>
> >JL
> >
> >
> >On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 8:28 AM, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:
> >
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> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM>
> > > Subject:      Re: "sling arms" (not in OED2) -- [1749], 1824
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > 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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