[Ads-l] telegraph (a punch)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Nice work. Here is an 1899 citation for the verb "telegraph" in the
sport (boxing) domain.

[Begin OED excerpt]
telegraph verb
5.a. transitive. Sport (originally Boxing). To initiate (a punch,
throw, move, etc.) in a way that makes one's intention obvious. Also
in figurative contexts.
[End OED excerpt]

Date: May 02, 1899
Newspaper: The Times-Democrat
Newspaper Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Article: SHARKEY AT THE SOUTHERN ATHLETIC CLUB
Quote Page 8, Column 4
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-democrat-telegraphs/208716232/

[Begin excerpt]
His fighting methods are very ordinary, and he telegraphs his various
moves in a fashion that must of necessity give a clever man like Fitz
an incalculable advantage.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Tue, Oct 20, 2026 at 6:44 PM Jonathan Lighter
<00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> OED: 1913
>
> 1909  Singleton (NSW) Argus (Aug. 7) 2 [N.]: James J. Jeffries....His
> punches come like a flash, and he never "telegraphs" a blow.
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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