[Ads-l] Antedating of "Hockey" (Game Played on Ice)

[Peter Reitan]

Hockey, on ice, from 1822.
The Morning Post (London), December 28, 1822, page 3.  Newspapers.com.
[Excerpt] A respectable youth of the name of Leatherbarrel, was amusing himself with fetching a bung to play at hockey, on a sheet of ice in St. James’s Park, which was not bearable. It gave way, and a person from the bank of the canal rushed into the water to save the youth’s life. His humane endeavours failed, at the risk of his own life. The body of the youth was taken up and conveyed to the Ship at Charing-cross, for the inspection of a Coroner’s Jury. [End Excerpt].

Several early examples of hockey played on ice refer to the game as "hockey-bung," played with a circular and flat bung from a barrel, instead of a ball - which explains the inspiration for the design of the puck.




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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, August 3, 2024 5:39 AM
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Subject: Antedating of "Hockey" (Game Played on Ice)

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Subject:      Antedating of "Hockey" (Game Played on Ice)
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The OED's first use of the word "hockey" for a game played on ice is dated =
1895.  The Canadian Encyclopedia entry for "Origins of Ice Hockey" has exte=
nsive discussion of early mentions of "hockey" on ice.  The earliest mentio=
n seems to be two letters by Sir John Franklin in 1825.  Other early mentio=
ns include Sir Richard George Augustus Levinge in 1839 memoirs; the Boys' O=
wn Book in 1849; and a letter by Charles Darwin to his son William Erasmus =
Darwin in 1853.

Fred Shapiro

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