[Ads-l] Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932

Fri Apr 21 02:48:31 UTC 2017

Peter Reitan wrote:
> Correction - Full cite:
>
> Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1931, page 16.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10410611/detroit_free_press/
>
> [Begin excerpt]
>
> All were waiting to see what Byrd would do on the 290-yard 18th, with a creek in front of the well-elevated green.  His first drive barely missed carrying the creek and he was given a "mulligan" just for fun.  The second not only was over the creek on the fly but was within a few inches of the elevated green.  That's some poke!
>
> [End excerpt]

Great citation, Peter. It is interesting that the article does not
attempt to explain the meaning of "mulligan" in 1931.
Garson

> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2017 3:37:26 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I found an earlier example.  The citation Garson found from 1932 was a rete=
> lling of an event that had happened at Rammler golf course in Sterling Heig=
> hts, Michigan "late last season" (1931).
>
>
> I looked it up to see whether the game was reported at the time - and it wa=
> s.
>
>
> Detroit Free Press (Michigan), page 16. Newspapers.com.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10410686/detroit_free_press/
>
>
> [Begin excerpt]
>
> All were waiting to see what Byrd would do on the 290-yard 18th, with a cre=
> ek in front of the well-elevated green.  His first drive barely missed carr=
> ying the creek and he was given a "mulligan" just for fun.  The second not =
> only was over the creek on the fly but was within a few inches of the eleva=
> ted green.  That's some poke!
>
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> The excerpt does not unambiguously answer the question of whether "Mulligan=
> " relates back to "Swat Mulligan", but it seems to be consistent with it.  =
> It's more believable, perhaps, than a locker room attendant in New Jersey n=
> amed Mulligan or a semi-pro golfer from Canada named Mulligan who claimed t=
> o take extra shots because his hands were numb after riding over rough road=
> s and a bumpy bridge. See http://www.pga.com/news/golf-buzz/how-mulligan-go=
> t-its-name
>
>
> Sammy Byrd played for the New York Yankees and frequently pinch-ran for Bab=
> e Ruth late in his career.  He is the only player to appear in a World Seri=
> es (1932) and the Masters, where he finished in the top 10 at the Masters t=
> wice.  He won six PGA tour events in the 1940s.
>
>
> When he played at Rammler in 1931, he was paired with Tommy Armour in a pro=
> -am best-ball tournament in which they finished second place.
>
>
>
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> =3D
> ------
>>
>> The term "mulligan" referring to an extra shot in golf has been
>> discussed here previously. Here is an unambiguous citation.
>>
>> Date: May 11, 1932
>> Newspaper: Detroit Free Press
>> Newspaper Location: Detroit, Michigan
>> Article: Sportroom Gossip by The Sports Staff
>> Quote Page 13, Column 2
>> Database: Newspapers.com
>>
>> https://www.newspapers.com/image/97825952/?terms=3D3D%22mulligan
>
> [https://img.newspapers.com/img/thumbnail/97825952/400/400.jpg]<https://www=
> .newspapers.com/image/97825952/?terms=3D3D%22mulligan>
>
> 11 May 1932, Page 13 - Detroit Free Press at Newspapers.com<https://www.new=
> spapers.com/image/97825952/?terms=3D3D%22mulligan>
> www.newspapers.com<http://www.newspapers.com>
>
>
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Playing In a four-ball match, which included Tommy Armour and Clarence
>> Gamber, the Yankee outfielder narrowly missed carrying the creek with
>> his drive, the ball crashing against the bank on the far side. He was
>> given a "mulligan," or another chance. This time he not only drove
>> over the creek, but to within a few inches of the front edge of the
>> green.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Peter =
> Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2017 12:39:23 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -------------------=
> ----
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ----
>
> I had the same thought - miscommunication between reporter and golfing base=
> =3D
> ball player.
>
> The several early reports of the term, "Mulligan," are in the same paper, t=
> =3D
> he Detroit Free Press.
>
>
> The word got much more press in the 1950s when President Eisenhower used th=
> =3D
> e term to refer to second (or third or fourth) chances from the tee.
>
>
> But even in the 1950s, several articles that explain the term "mulligan" in=
> =3D
> sisted that it was limited to one extra swing off the tee.
>
>
> In the 1920s, there were several tournaments termed "practice shot tourname=
> =3D
> nts," in which participants get an extra shot from the tee if the first one=
> =3D
>  is bad.
>
>
> So "taking a mulligan" may be getting an extra chance to hit the ball like =
> =3D
> "Swat Mulligan" off the tee.
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGar=
> =3D
> son O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2017 12:02:09 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -------------------=
> =3D
> ----
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> =3D
> ----
>
> Peter Reitan wrote:
>> Should we read anything into the fact that the player who took the
>> earliest recorded "mulligan" in 1932 was  New York Yankee?
>>  "Swat Mulligan", whose name was used to refer to a big swing
>> in baseball and golf in the 19-teens and 19-twenties, was a
>> fictional professional baseball player.
>>
>> The 1932 "mulligan", or "another chance", was also a big swing
>> taken off the tee; coincidence or something more?
>
> Maybe the term was invented by the reporter. Here is a conjectural
> conversation for an entertaining etymythology:
>
> Reporter: How well did you play today?
> Golf player: I hit my drive shot into the creek
> Reporter: Too bad.
> Golf player: The other players kindly let me tee up and try again.
> Reporter: What happened?
> Golf player: I took a mulligan and the ball flew over the creek and
> landed inches from the green
>
> The golf player was employing "mulligan" with the sense "tremendous
> swing". But the reporter interpreted it as "an extra attempt".
>
> Garson
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSG=
> =3D
> arson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2017 9:43:12 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------=
> =3D
> ------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Mulligan (extra shot in golf) May 11, 1932
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> =3D
> ------
>>
>> The term "mulligan" referring to an extra shot in golf has been
>> discussed here previously. Here is an unambiguous citation.
>>
>> Date: May 11, 1932
>> Newspaper: Detroit Free Press
>> Newspaper Location: Detroit, Michigan
>> Article: Sportroom Gossip by The Sports Staff
>> Quote Page 13, Column 2
>> Database: Newspapers.com
>>
>> https://www.newspapers.com/image/97825952/?terms=3D3D%22mulligan
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Playing In a four-ball match, which included Tommy Armour and Clarence
>> Gamber, the Yankee outfielder narrowly missed carrying the creek with
>> his drive, the ball crashing against the bank on the far side. He was
>> given a "mulligan," or another chance. This time he not only drove
>> over the creek, but to within a few inches of the front edge of the
>> green.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> I looked through the mailing list archive to determine the status of
>> the search for "mulligan" (with the sense "extra shot"). I believe
>> that previously the earliest citation was dated April 24, 1933. Sam
>> Clements found the instance in "The Detroit Free Press".
>>
>> [Ads-l] antedating of Mulligan(golf extra shot) 1933
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2016-April/141895.html
>>
>> Sam Clements found an interestingly ambiguous use of "mulligan" in the
>> domain of cricket in 1919. Peter Reitan suggested that the proper
>> interpretation for the 1919 citation was "to take a big swing at it".
>>
>> [Ads-l] Antedating of golf term "mulligan" to 1919--in cricket!!
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2016-June/143009.html
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2016-June/143073.html
>>
>> Stephen Goranson found a 1921 citation referring to a mixture of grass
>> seeds as "Mulligan's Marvelous Mixture" reminiscent of mulligan stew
>> in the golf domain.
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2016-June/143070.html
>>
>> Garson
>>
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>>
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>
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>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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