[Ads-l] Correction of OED Entry on "Center Field"

[Baker, John]

The OED says that the 1835 cite for "center field" is from the Jefferson, Indiana Daily Evening News, Sept. 26.  According to Chronicling America, that newspaper began publication in the 1870s, supporting the view that the OED citation must be a misdating.  On a hunch, I checked the newspaper on NewspaperArchive for September 26, 1885, and found the quoted story on page 2.


John Baker


From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of Shapiro, Fred
Sent: Sunday, August 7, 2022 4:08 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Correction of OED Entry on "Center Field"

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The OED's first use for the baseball term "center field" is purportedly from an Indiana newspaper in 1835. This must be an error, since the game of baseball was not organized until 1845.

The first use given by Edward J. Nichols, Historical Dictionary of Baseball Terminology, is from the Rules of the Original Knickerbocker Club (1854).

Fred Shapiro

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