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The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms: From 1500 to the Present

The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms: From 1500 to the Present
By Peter Davies

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Product Description

No game has a richer array of terms than golf. As new golfing terms have accumulated, old ones have changed or faded away. This concise yet informative dictionary provides definitions and the etymologies for the extraordinary vocabulary of golf, built up over its five-hundred-year history. To discover the origins of golf and its special language, Peter Davies combed little-known archives on two continents. As his unique contribution to the game, Davies’s enthusiasm and enjoyment of golf are stamped on every page of this authoritative book.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1372666 in Books
  • Published on: 2005-09-01
  • Original language: English
  • Dimensions: .40" h x 7.06" w x 10.04" l, .76 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 188 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Frog Hair , mashie , and niblick are a few of the more colorful terms defined in this entertaining and thorough piece of research by noted lexicographer and golf enthusiast Davies. The format is that of a conventional dictionary, with entries arranged alphabetically and line drawings used occasionally to illustrate different golf clubs. The thousands of citations add depth by clarifying a term's proper usage, identifying its origin, and often tracing the evolution of its meaning over time. The citations are drawn from golfing magazines, newspaper accounts, memoirs of golfers and golf writers, rule books, advertisements, and even fiction (notably P.G. Wodehouse). The weakness of the work is that whereas one can find frequent examples of expressions from other sports such as baseball migrating into common, everyday English (e.g., strike out, pinch hitter, foul ball), the language of this book belongs largely to the world of golf and is therefore of less general interest. However, it is well done and will find its audience in large public libraries.
- John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, N.J.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Peter Davies has undertaken a monumental task and carried it off in fine style. His dictionary will make a valuable addition to any serious golfer’s library and should be one that never gathers dust.”—Arnold Palmer
(Arnold Palmer )

“A fascinating look into the often arcane and sometimes amusing language of our game. I’m sure golfers and golf fans will find it enlightening and entertaining reading.”—Jack Nicklaus
(Jack Nicklaus )

“As golfers we all respect the traditions of the game which separate it from any other sport. Peter Davies’s definitions help us all to understand the evolution and facets of the game that we just take for granted today.”—Gary Player
(Gary Player )

About the Author

Peter Davies was the executive editor of the first edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and a coauthor of The American Heritage Word Frequency Book.