[Ads-l] Antedating of "Tick-Tack-Toe"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here is some possible evidence from 1876.

Date: November 02, 1876
Newspaper: The Robinson Argus
Newspaper Location: Robinson, Illinois
Article: Home & Neighborhood
Quote Page 1, Column 2
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-robinson-argus-tick-tack-toe/128119514/

[Begin excerpt - please double-check text]
Paris Gazette: Tick-tack-toe; three
governors in a row; Tilden, Hendricks
and Hayes, who've set the country in
a blaze; and as a sort of special feeler
they've called to help 'em William
Wheeler.
[End excerpt]

The Wikipedia article on "Tic-tac-toe" cites the OED for a 20th century date.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe

[Begin excerpt]
The US renaming of "noughts and crosses" to "tic-tac-toe" occurred in
the 20th century.[10]

[10] Oxford English Dictionary entries for "Noughts and Crosses",
"Tick-Tack" and "Tick-Tack-Toe", dictionary.oed.com
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Jul 12, 2023 at 7:39 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Interesting topic, JL. Excellent lead, Fred.
> The phrase "Tic-tac-toe, three in a row" occurs below in 1878 (I
> think), but it is not clear whether it refers to the game of today.
>
> Part of the text is cut off in the scan.
>
> Date: 1878 October
> Periodical: New Dominion Monthly
> Published by John Dougall & Son, Montreal
> Section: Young Folks
> Article: A Life in the Stage: A Story for Boys
> Start Page 462, Quote Page 466, Column 2
>
> https://books.google.com/books?id=V685RfuwRmQC&q=%22Tic%2C+tac%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt - please double check text and date]
> But can this comfortable, ea...
> going man, who walks up to the v...
> andah and seating himself on the
> vacant chair says with a quiet laugh
> "Tic-tac-toe, three in a row--...
> this be our little thin, pale-faced S...
> [End excerpt]
>
> The cut-off words might be "easy" and veranda".
>
> Garson
>
> On Wed, Jul 12, 2023 at 7:03 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
> >
> > Correction: In the 1908 citation it is "tack" rather than "tock."
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2023 7:01 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: Antedating of "Tick-Tack-Toe"
> >
> > tick-tack-toe (OED, b., 1960)
> >
> > 1895 _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_ 10 Dec. 7/1 (Newspapers.com)  It was "tick, tack, toe, three in a row."
> >
> > 1908 _Cincinnati Enquirer_ 9 July 2/6 (Newspapers.com)  Up to the stage they went, tick, tock, toe, three in a row. like the figures we used to make on our slate when the teacher wasn't looking.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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