[Ads-l] A good walk spoiled

[Pete Morris]

"Golf  ...  a good walk spoiled" - not Mark Twain.

In the podcast linked above, Fred says that the quote is not known 
before 1913.  I've found a few precursors.

Caveats about google dating apply.

=========================

possibly 1901.  attributed to a "well-known jockey"

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/American_Lawn_Tennis/VCRRAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=good+walk&dq=good+walk&printsec=frontcover


=========================

The Boss of Little Arcady,
by Harry Leon Wilson   1905

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10358/10358-h/10358-h.htm

Again: "This new game of golf that the summer folks play seems to have 
too much walking for a good game and just enough game to spoil a good 
walk." Golf in the Little Country!

I'm going to guess that this is the source that popularized the phrase, 
if not invented it.

=========================

possibly 1908.
https://tinyurl.com/2dub7py9

The Will of Allah by Kathlyn Rhodes

Personally I utterly deny the fascination of golf as a game ; to me it 
always seems like a good walk spoilt . I simply hate having to pull up 
every hundred yards and look about for a stupid little ball , and hit it 
into an equally ...

=========================

possibly 1906.  The "well-known jockey" again.
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Secrets_of_Lawn_Tennis/QJcCAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=good+walk&dq=good+walk&printsec=frontcover

=========================

possibly 1911
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Fry_s_Magazine/59o9AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=golf+%22a+good+walk%22&dq=golf+%22a+good+walk%22&printsec=frontcover

=========================

possibly 1912

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Fry_s_Magazine/Nts9AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=golf+good+walk&dq=golf+good+walk&printsec=frontcover

=========================

one for Quote Investigator, perhaps?


-- 
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org