Vintage "base ball" lingo

[Kawika]

You can add "starboard garden" aka right field to your list, Scott. Over the years I have perused numerous old articles in the NY Times archives and elsewhere and have encountered many examples of wordsmithing that tickle the eyes. Unfortunately I didn't have the prescience to keep track of them. The old-time sportswriters had it all over the bland crap we read today. Didn't bring my '57 Topps cards to Yankee games to be autographed either back in the day but that's another story. The agony of twenty-twenty hindsight! As an aside the instructional league in the northwest and British Columbia has a new team, the Kamloops Northpaws. I thought that was sorta cool.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Kawika

You can add "starboard garden" aka right field to your list, Scott. Over the years I have perused numerous old articles in the NY Times archives and elsewhere and have encountered many examples of wordsmithing that tickle the eyes. Unfortunately I didn't have the prescience to keep track of them. The old-time sportswriters had it all over the bland crap we read today. Didn't bring my '57 Topps cards to Yankee games to be autographed either back in the day but that's another story. The agony of twenty-twenty hindsight! As an aside the instructional league in the northwest and British Columbia has a new team, the Kamloops Northpaws. I thought that was sorta cool.

Wow! I visited Kamloops in the 80's while on the hunt for a Trophy King Salmon, never thought I'd see that name pop up in relation to baseball. Go Northpaws!

[Eric72]

"Daisy cutter" is the term old-timers used for what I called a "worm burner" as a youth.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Eric72

"Daisy cutter" is the term old-timers used for what I called a "worm burner" as a youth.

"Daisy Cutter" as a term was first referenced in 1918 by Jack Wilkinson describing an attack on RAF at Bertangles. "A bomb that seemed to explode before it buried itself in the ground so that bits and pieces flew horizontally in all directions".

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

"Daisy Cutter" as a term was first referenced in 1918 by Jack Wilkinson describing an attack on RAF at Bertangles. "A bomb that seemed to explode before it buried itself in the ground so that bits and pieces flew horizontally in all directions".

My understanding is that the term was 19th Century Base Ball lingo for a hard hit ground ball that skimmed along the ground.

It's not terribly surprising to learn the term was also used to describe other things, though.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Eric72

My understanding is that the term was 19th Century Base Ball lingo for a hard hit ground ball that skimmed along the ground.

It's not terribly surprising to learn the term was also used to describe other things, though.

Its very plausible that the term originated on the ball field and was adopted by the military .

[perezfan]

A "can of corn" was an easy out via pop-up.

A "worm pounder" was a sharply hit grounder.

And a "bingle" was a base hit or a single, as evidenced by this early piece...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTTXnYviDT8&t=29s