DCHP-3

bazz

DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)

Spelling variants:
baz, bass

v. transitive — Newfoundland, especially Games

to throw or toss, especially in a game.

Type: 2. Preservation — The term bazz describes the act of throwing or tossing. It appears to be used most often in reference to children's games (see the 1891 and 1956 quotations), when playing with items such as marbles (see the 1896 quotation) or buttons (see the 2014 quotation); thus, written attestations of bazz appear to be scarce, coinciding with the term's association with a generally oral semantic domain. Although COD-2 marks the origin of bazz as "unknown" (see COD-2, s.v. "bazz"), the term likely derives from British English, defined in EDD as 'to throw with force' (see EDD, s.v. "bazz" (v)(1)). In this respect, the Newfoundland term could be viewed as a minor semantic change in terms of down-toning the original meaning.
See also COD-2, s.v. "bazz", which is marked "Cdn (Nfld)" and DNE, s.v. "bazz" (v).

Quotations

1891
Holly Branch 19 The youth who 'bazz's' marbles, and delights in other tricks...
1896
If there was one trait in Ned's character that shone above all others it was fondness for children; and the man who is fond of the "little 'uns' must be a good one. Often and often would the youngsters waylay Ned on paydays and receive money to buy kites, marbles for "bazzing," or a monkey-on-a-stick.
1910
Kenawitch's Lane The Spring again is with us / With its sunny skies and blue / And the boys are "bazzin'" marbles / As their fathers do [...]
1917
A 1917 poem, signed "an Old Boy", carried the title, "When the Boys are Bazzin' Marbles in the Spring", and one issue reprinted a hymn sung by the Canadian corps at Vimy Ridge.
1956
[...] as the Pee Wees fold their uniforms with honors thick upon them, as boys are busily bazzing marbles and putting balls, our thoughts, like a young man's fancy, turns to thought of Spring and love - love of the outdoors [...]
1977
RUSSELL 124 'How did you baz a button?' 'Why,' said Grampa, 'you'd just bounce it off the corner post of a store out into the road, and the next fellow'd baz his button and try to make it land close to yours. If he could put it so close that he could span the distance with his thumb and finger, he kept the button and you had to find another one to baz with.'
2014
Now the boys used to sail boats in the little brooks here and there and make boats for themselves. They'd pinch buttons, bazz buttons and they used to spin tops. We would make tops and spin them. Quite a few things.

References

  • COD-2
  • EDD
  • DNE