[Ads-l] Antedating of "Mulligan"

Tue Nov 28 04:59:49 UTC 2023

As I recall, in an early example of a golf do-over, involving professional baseball players, the suggestion was that the second swing was hoped be hit harder and further. Perhaps like Swat Mulligan?
________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of dave at wilton.net <dave at WILTON.NET>
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2023 8:55:14 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Mulligan"

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       "dave at wilton.net" <dave at WILTON.NET>
Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Mulligan"
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=0AThe connection is that of a swing of a bat/club. Whether or not that's s=
ufficient to establish an etymological connection is a debatable point.=0A =
=0A =0A-----Original Message-----=0AFrom: "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YAL=
E.EDU>=0ASent: Monday, November 27, 2023 10:45am=0ATo: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.E=
DU=0ASubject: Re: [ADS-L] Antedating of "Mulligan"=0A=0A=0A=0AI now see tha=
t the 1918 Ogden article I found is clearly not about do-overs in golf.=0A=
=0AI have to note that I don't see any likely semantic connection between g=
olf do-overs and Swats Mulligan.=0A=0AFred Shapiro=0A=0A=0A________________=
________________=0AFrom: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> =
on behalf of Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>=0ASent: Sunday, November 2=
6, 2023 8:20 PM=0ATo: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>=0ASub=
ject: Re: Antedating of "Mulligan"=0A=0AI don't recall clipping the Ogden a=
rticle from 1918. The original article was published earlier than my clippi=
ng date, and I apparently never updated it.=0A=0AIt is possible that I did =
not update it because I did not even discover the original 1919 Colorado Sp=
rings citation, which was credited to Samuel Clements on ADS-L.=0A=0AAlso, =
those early examples are likely not used in the modern sense of an extra sw=
ing, but in an earlier sense, influenced by a fictional baseball player, of=
 taking a hard swing.=0A=0AThere were even earlier examples using the chara=
cter's full name "Swat Mulligan", to describe players who were heavy hitter=
s. (I believe the original name was actually Swat Milligan, but in common u=
sage it was frequently spelled as the more familiar name, Mulligan).=0A=0AH=
einie Zimmerman was the New York Giants=E2=80=99 leading =E2=80=9CSwat Mull=
igan=E2=80=9D in 1917:=0A=0ALeading the Polo Ground Swat Mulligans is Heini=
e Zimmerman, with an average of .310.=0A=0AThe World (New York), July 10, 1=
917, page 10.=0A=0AAnd examples from the same period relating to golfers. D=
ave Herron was a =E2=80=9CSwat Mulligan of the links=E2=80=9D in Philadelph=
ia in 1919:=0A=0A[Woody Platt], a newcomer to tournament golf, failed to ge=
t his strokes working in good shape against the long hitting Herron, who is=
 a real Swat Mulligan of the links.=0A=0AThe Evening World (New York), Augu=
st 22, 1919, page 2.=0A=0AIt is still not clear how, when or even whether t=
hat usage transitioned to mean an extra shot in golf. It did seem like an i=
nteresting coincidence that early, unambiguous examples of a "mulligan" as =
an extra golf shot were in reports of professional baseball players playing=
 golf.=0A=0AI addressed several of the popular theories in a post.=0A=0Ahtt=
ps://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fesnpc.blog=
spot.com%2F2017%2F05%2Fhey-mulligan-man-second-shot-at-history.html&data=3D=
05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C12272921b0cc427b24ca08dbeee723d1%7Cdd8c=
bebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638366448741534282%7CUnknown%7CTWFpb=
GZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7=
C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DeD5ukRaqmqHGFC4q5wyKBy%2B5mDXwNDjExWplCOH%2BCYU%3D&r=
eserved=3D0<https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2017/05/hey-mulligan-man-second-shot=
-at-history.html>=0A________________________________=0AFrom: ADSGarson O'To=
ole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>=0ASent: Sunday, November 26, 2023 12:59 PM=
=0ATo: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at listserv.uga.edu>=0ASubject: Re: Ant=
edating of "Mulligan"=0A=0ADave Wilton=0A> The 1919 Colorado Springs citati=
on that Peter Reitan found is a reprint of=0A> the 1918 Ogden article that =
Fred has just found.=0A=0AExactly. Peter found both citations by 2017.=0ABo=
th citations point to the article titled "Why Our Baseball Is Better=0AThan=
 British Cricket" by J. B. Sheridan.=0A=0A"The Colorado Springs Gazette" ci=
tation is dated April 19, 1919. It is=0Aavailable via GenealogyBank. Peter =
mentioned this citation in his=0Aarticle about "mulligan".=0A=0A"The Ogden =
Standard" citation is dated October 12, 1918. It is=0Aavailable via Newspap=
ers.com. Peter clipped it on May 3, 2017. Fred=0Arediscovered this citation=
 and shared it with list members today.=0A=0AThe oddity is that Peter only =
mentioned the 1919 citation and not the=0A1918 citation in his "mulligan" a=
rticle even though he has known about=0Aboth citations since 2017. The simp=
lest explanation is that he has not=0Ayet updated the "mulligan" article.=
=0A=0AThis is not a criticism of Peter or anybody else. There are multiple=
=0AQuote Investigator articles which I have not yet updated despite the=0Af=
act that I have germane information to add.=0A=0AGarson=0A=0A=0A=0A> -----O=
riginal Message-----=0A> From: "ADSGarson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.C=
OM>=0A> Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2023 2:06pm=0A> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.E=
DU=0A> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Antedating of "Mulligan"=0A>=0A>=0A>=0A> That i=
s an intriguing citation. Back in 2017 Peter Reitan clipped that=0A> citati=
on in "The Ogden Standard":=0A>=0A> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outl=
ook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-ogden-stand=
ard%2F10716202%2F&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C12272921b0cc42=
7b24ca08dbeee723d1%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C63836644874=
1534282%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI=
6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DOBiWwaOAadVp5DIHZOGerYKS57y=
UvuSRsjL2gXWSwDE%3D&reserved=3D0<https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ogd=
en-standard/10716202/>=0A>=0A> Peter's article about "mulligan" contains a =
pertinent analysis which=0A> suggests that "this early 'mulligan' referred =
to taking a big swing at=0A> the ball":=0A>=0A> https://nam12.safelinks.pro=
tection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fesnpc.blogspot.com%2F2017%2F05%2Fh=
ey-mulligan-man-second-shot-at-history.html&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%4=
0YALE.EDU%7C12272921b0cc427b24ca08dbeee723d1%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87ab=
eb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638366448741534282%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwM=
DAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3De=
D5ukRaqmqHGFC4q5wyKBy%2B5mDXwNDjExWplCOH%2BCYU%3D&reserved=3D0<https://esnp=
c.blogspot.com/2017/05/hey-mulligan-man-second-shot-at-history.html>=0A>=0A=
> [Begin excerpt]=0A> As early as 1919, a cricketer, using language very si=
milar to the=0A> golfing sense, might "take a 'mulligan' at" the ball. In c=
ontext, it=0A> appears that this early "mulligan" referred to taking a big =
swing at=0A> the ball =E2=80=93 the kind of swing "Swat Mulligan" might tak=
e:=0A>=0A> If it is a bad ball, "off the wicket," he may take a "mulligan" =
at it=0A> and knock it over the fence, "out of bounds" they call it.=0A>=0A=
> The Colorado Springs Gazette, April 19, 1919, page 12.=0A>=0A> This is th=
e only example of "mulligan" in this form that I or anyone=0A> else has fou=
nd. But there are numerous references using the full=0A> name, "Swat Mullig=
an," to describe a big hitter in baseball or golf.=0A> [End excerpt]=0A>=0A=
> I am not sure why Peter refers to the year 1919. Perhaps the article=0A> =
should be updated to say 1918 based on the citation in =E2=80=9CThe Ogden=
=0A> Standard=E2=80=9D.=0A>=0A> Garson O'Toole=0A>=0A> On Sun, Nov 26, 2023=
 at 1:19=E2=80=AFPM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:=0A> >=0A> =
> mulligan (OED, n.2, 1936)=0A> >=0A> > 1918 _Ogden_ (Utah) _Standard_ 12 O=
ct. 17/3 (Newspapers.com)=0A> >=0A> > If it is a bad ball, "off the wicket,=
" he may take a "mulligan" at it and knock it over the fence, "out of bound=
s" they call it.=0A> >=0A> > Fred Shapiro=0A> >=0A> > ---------------------=
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