[Ads-l] knock for a loop (1916), throw for a loop (1925)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The Chicago Tribune article mentioned a possible connection to "loop
the loop", but the writer was skeptical. Michael Quinion mentioned
aircraft and roller coasters looping the loop. There was another type
of loop-the-loop in the early 1900s: a stunt performed on a bicycle.
The rider would build speed by going down an incline and then travel
around an upright circular track.

Date: May 10, 1904
Newspaper: The New York Times
Newspaper Location: New York, New York
Quote Page: 7
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
Oscar Babcock the former six-day racing
cyclist of New York, is now with a circus in
New Mexico doing a loop-the-loop act and a
cycle whirl.
[End excerpt]

In the boxing domain "loop-the-loop" was sometimes used to describe a
particular type of punch:

Date: August 20, 1911
Newspaper: The Oregon Daily Journal
Newspaper Location: Portland, Oregon
Article: Which Boxing Style Is More Effective
Quote Page: 35

[Begin excerpt]
At present all I can say is that the
men who are champions are not straight
hitters. How to free a glove and cut
loose with an uppercut or a loop-the-loop
is an acquirement that is of more
service to a modern ringman, apparently,
than a knowledge of straight lefts
and right crosses.
[End excerpt]

In 1924 I found an example of the phrase "knocked me for a
loop-the-loop", but this phrase seemed to be rare, and Ben showed that
"knocked X for a loop" was already in circulation by 1916.

Date: February 6, 1924
Newspaper: Winston-Salem Journal
Newspaper Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Article: Chimes from a Dumb Bell
Author: Garland B. Porter
Quote Page: 4
Database: GenealogyBank

[Begin except]
. . . knocked me for a loop-the-loop,
lambasted me for the daffodil
squad and black-jacked me all
in one. Never have I had such a
wallop in all my life, in truth no
man could stand more than one
such wallop and live.
[End excerpt]

This post is not arguing for any particular interpretation. The
purpose is just to share data.

Garson

On Sat, Jan 24, 2015 at 12:46 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      knock for a loop (1916), throw for a loop (1925)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> HDAS has "knock for a loop" from 1923, and Michael Quinion has it from 1921:
>
> http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-thr4.htm
>
> This example from 1916 supports a boxing origin:
>
> 1916 _Kalamazoo Gazette_ 23 Jan. 16/3 After the McCarty mill I bumped
> off Mike Burns in one round at Superior, Wis., and knocked a fellow
> named Riley for a loop in three rounds at Minneapolis.
>
> Fred Shapiro noted a 1937 cite for the "throw for a loop" variant in
> this 2007 column by Nathan Bierma:
>
> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-03-30/features/0703280535_1_loop-phrase-sound
>
> Here it is in a 1925 article about wrestling:
>
> 1925 _San Diego Union_ 17 Nov. 13/4 Londos is tackling a tough
> adversary at the Coliseum next Tuesday when he meets Somsa Kozar, the
> Armenian giant, but Jimmy is confident he will throw Kozar for a loop
> and win his way to another chance at Joe Stecher's crown.
>
> (Both cites are from GenealogyBank.)
>
> --bgz
>
> --
> Ben Zimmer
> http://benzimmer.com/
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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