tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post8324120006796811138..comments2024-03-15T23:25:52.517-07:00Comments on the joy of sox: Words You Hear Only During Baseball Broadcastsallanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-49523801582801927152011-04-13T13:30:29.176-07:002011-04-13T13:30:29.176-07:00True enough, but the OED is telling me that it is ...True enough, but the OED is telling me that it is a 19th century billiards term.lougorman'slunchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338966265546583435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-44343833058991695832011-04-13T11:02:45.815-07:002011-04-13T11:02:45.815-07:00"miscue""miscue"allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-60917609827169013772011-03-08T10:32:49.483-08:002011-03-08T10:32:49.483-08:00Heh -- maybe we should call him "Frank"!...Heh -- maybe we should call him "Frank"!allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-49127145589046846652011-03-08T10:31:57.212-08:002011-03-08T10:31:57.212-08:00People use the word "nibble" though. I d...People use the word "nibble" though. I don't think it's outdated.<br /><br />I've said before that game stories back in the 1910s used the term franked for being walked. E.g., "Dice was in a groove, but after he franked Jeter, he lost his focus and allowed two dongs." It is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franking" rel="nofollow">a postal expression</a>, but it is not used in baseball anymore. Do postal people use it?allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-72709786519916386772011-03-08T10:18:36.771-08:002011-03-08T10:18:36.771-08:00A-ha! From todays Cards/Sox broadcast:
"The ...A-ha! From todays Cards/Sox broadcast:<br /><br />"The ump is squeezing the red bird lefty."Pokerwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06087637119337918275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-80984561418353360742011-03-08T10:16:51.140-08:002011-03-08T10:16:51.140-08:00Nibbling at the plate? Or how about "He's...Nibbling at the plate? Or how about "He's a nibbler"?<br /><br />Have you guys heard anyone saying that a batter has been "plonked" by a pitch? I know I've heard it before, but I don't know how often it's actually said.Pokerwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06087637119337918275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-66329775510652917452011-03-08T06:12:50.517-08:002011-03-08T06:12:50.517-08:00Rubbers, at least, goes back to the 16th century. ...Rubbers, at least, goes back to the 16th century. It is actually a bowling term. I wonder how many of these terms come from other games and baseball is keeping the other games' terminology alive?<br /><br />A baseball term that has fallen out of usage due to modern rule changes, but I am trying to get it back via wiffleball, is 'soaking' as a term for when the fielder gets out a baserunner by hitting said runner with a thrown ball, as in "I soaked you in the head just before your foot touched first." This, I think, I first heard of in the Burns series.lougorman'slunchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338966265546583435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-61066305758447580892011-03-07T22:30:51.835-08:002011-03-07T22:30:51.835-08:00what about "around the horn"? I hear it...what about "around the horn"? I hear it sometimes on the radio station i listen to (let's go around the horn and get your opinion)... but outside of that, i don't hear it.Bradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12919343462085992964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-47396836026154106552011-03-07T20:09:01.635-08:002011-03-07T20:09:01.635-08:00Ah, yes, induce a double play. Love it.
And also...Ah, yes, induce a double play. Love it.<br /><br />And also a little nubber!<br /><br />Reading that Wikipedia list was so much fun. It's truly amazing how much baseball lingo has entered the language. Things we say all the time without even thinking about how they relate to baseball.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15720293202890878993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-32272915059833318132011-03-07T20:01:31.316-08:002011-03-07T20:01:31.316-08:00Yes, I am kidding.
Pitchers try to induce a doubl...Yes, I am kidding.<br /><br />Pitchers try to induce a double play.allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-80632554625176312072011-03-07T20:00:13.386-08:002011-03-07T20:00:13.386-08:00Kids on the playground still play "pickle&quo...Kids on the playground still play "pickle" or did last time I had playground duty sometime in the eighties.johngoldfinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322562737172405323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-49447466196481956942011-03-07T19:58:22.090-08:002011-03-07T19:58:22.090-08:00how about "a little nubber down the line...ju...how about "a little nubber down the line...just rolls foul!"<br /><br />WTF is a nubber and what would a big one look like?johngoldfinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322562737172405323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-60907544363043074232011-03-07T19:46:45.080-08:002011-03-07T19:46:45.080-08:00I assume you are joking about bridge. Although I ...I assume you are joking about bridge. Although I don't play (I never liked card games, other than solitaire!), I know lots of people who do. Not dead yet.<br /><br />I cannot think of how announcers use "induce." To me it is more a legal term than a baseball term. But then as Laura who already pointed out, I don't listen to the announcers much.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15720293202890878993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-48364344993338106522011-03-07T19:42:17.698-08:002011-03-07T19:42:17.698-08:00What about "rubber game"? It comes from ...What about "rubber game"? It comes from bridge, which no one plays anymore!allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-62793112904943300922011-03-07T19:37:10.719-08:002011-03-07T19:37:10.719-08:00I've been using Donnybrook lately.I've been using Donnybrook lately.andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13080026360873456937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-79204904435786569222011-03-07T19:28:11.645-08:002011-03-07T19:28:11.645-08:00I think Allan meant to include cup of coffee on th...<i>I think Allan meant to include cup of coffee on the list in this post.</i><br /><br />No, that would not apply. Neither would something like frozen rope.<br /><br />Induce and pilfer are perfect. A word like forsooth would be perfect, too, if it was used in baseball -- archaic words no longer used in the 21st Century. (Though I think "pilfer a bag" is now used ironically.)<br /><br />I'll have to be on the lookout for these words as the year begins.allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-45774254791729458892011-03-07T18:07:40.699-08:002011-03-07T18:07:40.699-08:00Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for the information. ...Hi everyone, <br />Thanks so much for the information. I'll start checking out some of this material, and I like the Belfast, Maine theory for 'on deck' although I suspect that despite this important role in the history of the game, Belfast is not the likely source for 'bullpen.'lougorman'slunchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338966265546583435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-40941381812888286122011-03-07T17:07:59.205-08:002011-03-07T17:07:59.205-08:00http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-American-Slang-Ha...http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-American-Slang-Harold-Wentworth/dp/9998065100<br /><br />I've always liked this one.johngoldfinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322562737172405323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-50885736323808219472011-03-07T17:02:27.780-08:002011-03-07T17:02:27.780-08:00Thanks, Laura. I am sure I have heard them say th...Thanks, Laura. I am sure I have heard them say that without realizing what it meant or that it was a baseball expression (or, as you suggest, I just filtered it out). <br /><br />BTW, I can't stand John Sterling either. So that's two announcers named Jo(h)n I can't stand!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15720293202890878993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-7614579043669939512011-03-07T16:58:45.986-08:002011-03-07T16:58:45.986-08:00I think Allan meant to include cup of coffee on th...I think Allan meant to include cup of coffee on the list in this post. AFAIK, it's only used with that meaning in baseball.laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-82935159166870073102011-03-07T16:58:33.205-08:002011-03-07T16:58:33.205-08:00Oops, missed that!
Try this for the Oxford Dictio...Oops, missed that!<br /><br />Try this for the Oxford Dictionary of American English:<br /><br />http://bit.ly/i9JrxS<br /><br />Or on Amazon: http://amzn.to/dNK50Pchristopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15101825025533779106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-65574297374004650842011-03-07T16:57:45.047-08:002011-03-07T16:57:45.047-08:00Is this just my son in law, or is that a generally...<i>Is this just my son in law, or is that a generally known baseball expression?</i><br /><br />Extremely well known. You've undoubtedly heard it dozens of times over the years. <br /><br />But as we know, you filter out announcers!*<br /><br /><br /><br />* With one exception.laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-38431340171413023822011-03-07T16:56:34.259-08:002011-03-07T16:56:34.259-08:00Christopher, can you post that first URL as a link...Christopher, can you post that first URL as a link? I can't get it as-is. Thanks.<br /><br />I posted the Wiki link above in this thread. :)laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-59337865632401233112011-03-07T16:53:28.666-08:002011-03-07T16:53:28.666-08:00I'm looking through Scholar's Portal (Onta...I'm looking through Scholar's Portal (Ontario's access to databases for the academic researchers - awesome tool) for articles on baseball and linguistics. Lots of stuff. <br /><br />All the titles are very specific, because they're all articles and studies. We need a reference book.<br /><br />I will find some titles at school this week and post it here.laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-50315708064460295452011-03-07T16:51:39.730-08:002011-03-07T16:51:39.730-08:00There is an OED for American English!
http://www....There is an OED for American English!<br /><br />http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Reference/EnglishDictionaries/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5NTE3MDc3MQ==<br /><br />An interesting point is that I teach English here in Japan, where a number of my co-workers are from other parts of the English speaking world. Idioms from baseball - like "out of left field" - often stump them as much as the students!<br /><br />Here's a list of idioms from baseball:<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_English_language_idioms_derived_from_baseballchristopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15101825025533779106noreply@blogger.com