[Ads-l] U-turn (1907)

Tue Oct 18 16:07:29 UTC 2022

Thanks to Pete, Garson, and Amy for their comments and cites. I'm writing
about "U-turn" for my Wall Street Journal column this week (because of
the term's current prominence in UK politics), so I appreciate the
insights. I'll be sure to cover the semantic shift from the earlier
"hairpin turn/bend" sense.

As for the earliest uses of the "hairpin" expressions, OED2 has "hairpin
turn" and "hairpin corner" from 1906, and "hairpin bend" from 1914 (also
standalone "hairpin" from 1912). Some antedatings:

* hairpin bend
https://archive.org/details/argonaut151884sanf/page/n400/mode/1up
The Argonaut (San Francisco), July 12, 1884, p. 6, col. 3
A Spanish mail-coach, drawn by ten horses, is tearing and plunging around a
Castilian hairpin bend.

* hairpin turn
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111538410/hairpin-turn/
Lexington (Mo.) Intelligencer, Jan. 8, 1887, p. 4, col. 2
Our driver took us as far out upon this promontory as it was possible to go
in a carriage, and then making what he called "the hairpin turn," hurried
us away toward Pacific Grove.

* hairpin
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111538558/hairpin/
Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Record, Aug. 29, 1898, p. 6, col. 3
To make the descent to the creek was a puzzle the solution of which by the
engineers evolved the "hairpin," a bend around which the road runs six
miles, to make a little over half a mile.

(For "hairpin corner" there are a number of cites from 1905.)

On Tue, Oct 18, 2022 at 10:12 AM Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

>
> Neat! Did not realize that there was this semantic shift. Now we've got
> "U-turn" to refer specifically to the turn made by a car within a
> roadway to reverse direction on that roadway (and seems to be done by
> mostly stupid drivers in Worcester on busy multi-lane roads) and
> "hairpin turn" to refer to the turn that a roadway itself makes to
> reverse direction. In MA, there's a really nice "↶ hairpin turn" sign on
> Rte. 2 just above (literally) North Adams.
>
> ---Amy West

On Tue, Oct 18, 2022 at 11:00 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:

> Excellent work. Definition 1 for the noun "U-turn" in the OED combines
> the two senses mentioned in this thread.
>
> [Begin OED excerpt]
> 1. A U-shaped turn made by a vehicle, so as to face in the opposite
> direction; (later more generally) a reversal of the direction of
> travel of anything. Also: a U-shaped turn in the course of a road,
> route, etc.
> [End OED excerpt]
>
> The citation for "U turn" located by Pete appeared in the May 1906
> issue of "The Rambler Magazine". "U turn" occurs on page 473.
> Scrolling backward reveals the cover of the May 1906 issue on page
> 455. Scrolling forward reveals the cover of the June 1906 cover on
> page 488.
>
> Date: May 1906
> Periodical: The Rambler Magazine
> Article: More Honors for the Rambler
> Start Page 473, Quote Page 473, Column 1 and 2
> https://books.google.com/books?id=A-EwAQAAMAAJ&q=%22U+turn%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> This bend known as the Devil's Elbow, is a full U turn with a grade of
> 18 per cent. After this the grade lessens somewhat, but soon runs into
> an S curve with a varying grade of from 15 to 20 per cent.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Tue, Oct 18, 2022 at 6:15 AM Pete Morris <mr_peter_morris at outlook.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Here's a cite that seems to be from 1905-7, caveats apply.
> >
> >
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Rambler_Magazine/A-EwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22u+turn%22&dq=%22u+turn%22&printsec=frontcover
> >
> > And another from possibly 1912.
> >
> >
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Motorcycle_Illustrated/3OM_AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=drive+%22u+turn%22&dq=drive+%22u+turn%22&printsec=frontcover
> >
> > A note that all these cites refer to a sharp bend in the road, often
> > called a
> > hairpin bend, rather than the current sense of reversing a vehicle's
> > direction
> > in the width of a road.
> >
> > While we're on the subject, what's the earliest cite for "hairpin bend"
> > ?
> >
> >
> >
> > ------ Original Message ------
> > From "Ben Zimmer" <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
> > To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Date 18/10/2022 01:27:27
> > Subject U-turn (1907)
> >
> > >OED3 has "U-turn" from 1915 (entry updated in Mar. 2021).
> > >
> > >---
> > >https://books.google.com/books?id=M4lCAAAAYAAJ
> > >Claude Goodman Johnson, _Roads Made Easy by Picture and Pen, Vol. 1_
> (1907)
> > >p. 136:
> > >And the Maidstone Road is easily joined by proceeding on leaving either
> > >hotel in the same direction as that of arrival there for a few yards,
> then
> > >making a U turn to the left and bearing right down a narrow leafy lane.
> > >p. 143:
> > >At the bottom where there is a triangular shrub enclosure take a U turn.
> > >---
> > >https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111492050/u-turn/
> > >Evening Record (Hackensack, NJ), Nov. 13, 1909, p. 1, col. 1
> > >There are also three difficult turns, one a double "S" and another a "U"
> > >turn, while half way up the grade a walled drain in the center of the
> > >course gives drivers an alternative of a sweeping roadway on either
> side.
> > >---
> > >https://books.google.com/books?id=qn0WPzp4gv8C&pg=RA18-PA17
> > >Harper's Weekly, June 4, 1910, p. 17
> > >"The Turn in Racing" by Herbert Lytle
> > >In making the U turn the same rule is still applied. The car is turned
> > >slightly from its course, then brought about and pointed directly for
> the
> > >corner of the turn (Fig. 6), continuing in this way until the car
> assumes
> > >its new course.
> > >Fig. 6 - The correct method of making a U turn.
> > >---
> > >
> > >Previously known as a "U-shaped turn" (at least in the "hairpin turn"
> > >road-racing sense):
> > >
> > >---
> > >https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111483119/u-shaped-turn/
> > >New York Times, Nov. 27, 1903, p. 1, col. 3
> > >The road is almost straight until about a quarter of a mile from the
> start,
> > >where there is a short double curve followed at the extreme top by a
> > >U-shaped turn which proves very trying to all ascending vehicles.
> > >---
> > >
>

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