[Ads-l] Etymology of punch "party, gathering"

[Z Rice]

>From "Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans" by Louis Armstrong :

"When a club paraded it would make several stops called "punches" during
the day at house of the members, where there were sandwiches, cold beer,
and, of course, lots of whiskey." (Armstrong 1954, 225)

Word origin: Wolof peːɲcə 'a public place in a village or town where public
meetings, events, and celebrations are held' (also mpeːɲcə) (Wolof standard
orthography: pénc)

I recall reading somewhere that the origin of punch "party, gathering" was
rooted in "fruit punch", but this seems especially facile (and doesn't seem
to make sense; they didn't call these gatherings "whiskey").

None of my informants from the region (Louisiana) were able to recall this
as a word for "party, gathering", so it may well be obsolete.

Zola Sohna

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