Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 10:50:29 -0500

From: Fred Shapiro fred.shapiro[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALE.EDU

Subject: Re: High Ball; Moonshiner; Cracker Jack; Chickened Out; --NOT!; Coon;

et al.



On Sun, 11 Jan 1998, Bapopik wrote:



Paul Dickson has the New York Herald, 8 July 1865, for "the national

game." That's very early, although someone traced "the national pastime" to

1857!

This is from Harper's Weekly, 15 October 1859, pg. 660(? Copy is cut

off), col. 3:



Note that the DA has an 1856 citation for _national game_. The OED traces

it, in reference to sports other than baseball, to 1828.



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