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dipsy-doodle
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
1adj. — Hockey
a quick series of moves by the puck-carrier involving feints and expert stickhandling.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — While the term term originates in other sports (see meaning 2), it is now used most frequently in the context of hockey in Canada. The hockey domain is the most productive one, transforming the original adjective (meanings 1 and 2) into a verb (meaning 3) and a noun (meaning 4), together with a nominal derivation (meaning 6) and figurative uses in a non-sport context (meaning 5). It seems fair to say that once dipsy-doodle was adopted into the hocky context, it was expanded to a number of functions. AHD-5 (s.v. "dipsy-doodle") derives the term, which it defines generally as 'to move in or follow a zigzag pattern', from dipsy-do, a baseball term describing the motion of a screwball. In the hockey context, dipsy-doodle is of high frequency in Canada (see Chart 1).
See also COD-2, s.v. "dipsy-doodle", which is marked "Cdn slang", and W-3, s.v. "dipsy-doodle", AHD-5, s.v. "dipsy-doodle".
See also COD-2, s.v. "dipsy-doodle", which is marked "Cdn slang", and W-3, s.v. "dipsy-doodle", AHD-5, s.v. "dipsy-doodle".
See: stickhandling
Quotations
1940
Right now the Hawks are featuring a stream-lined attack that is every bit as dazzling as the dipsy-doodle speed and passing tricks of the New York Rangers.
1943
A dipsy-doodling private from Fort William, Ont., scored half his team's total goals as a Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps unit for the second successive year took the hockey championship of a Canadian Army division.
1961
He's well ahead of his 31 for 48 games in the regular season, has stolen the limelight from his dipsy-doodle linemate, Bruce Draper.
1997
Over the years, the series has become a collage on the tape-loop of memory:
The "To Russia With Hull" campaign; the shocking 7-3 Soviet win at the Montreal Forum to open the series; Pete Mahovlich's brilliant dipsy-doodle goal in Toronto; the booing spectators at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver and Phil Esposito's impassioned, drenched-in-sweat, post-game monologue on national TV [. . .] and, unforgettably, Henderson's goal.
2003
Malik wowed the crowd with his deft dipsy-doodle goal, drawing Cloutier out of the net with a fake shot, pulling the puck back through his legs and, with the puck behind him, lifting it over Cloutier's shoulder.
2006
Instead of trying to play a fancy, dipsy-doodle type of game, the Senators, they were told, needed to play one that was tougher and more assertive.
2†adj. — Sports
pertaining to an evasive move in other sports, often basketball, baseball and football.
The oldest uses of the term relate to basketball and baseball contexts. The most widely used contexts in Canada are hockey (see other meanings) and occasionally football (see, e.g. the 1989 quotation), while the term is rarely used in other sports in Canada today.
See: stickhandle
Quotations
1939
Varsity's majors of the maple court won the dipsy-doodle crown last Wednesday when they beat the Dominion champs, Westerns 43-42 by the official score, tied them 43-43 by the Varsity score, and lost 41-44 by the score board.
1943
Now, perhaps, Burleigh will inject himself into an International League game and give us a demonstration of his famous dipsy-doodle pitch.
1953
It was appropriate that Sandy Robertson, wheel-horse of the 1946 greatest ever team, broke the ice with a dipsy-doodle lay-up to give the Grads the lead which they retained throughout most of the game.
3v. — Hockey
to move in such a way, see meaning 1.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — The verbal function seems to have developed out of the adjectival function (see meaning 1).
Quotations
1946
Anderson dipsy-doodled his way through the whole Toronto team to give McGill a 2-1 edge at the end of the first period, stickhandling past the last three Blues and beating Ball with a backhand.
1950
Art Rose, a kid who by any other name would still be a sweet junior hockey player, dipsy-doodled his way through the game but outclassed Irish, almost at will to pace his mates to their win.
1969
That goal looked big until Serge Galinas picked up the puck at his own blueline and dipsy-doodled his way past every member of the Amos club before flipping a pass to Harvey cutting in on goal from the other side.
1977
Glennie simply has none of the moves of a Tim Horton, his boyhood hero, who was one of the loveliest skaters and stickhandlers ever to wear the Leaf colors. He couldn't deke if his teeth depended on it. So, when he tried to dipsy-doodle between two defencemen, he ended up, arms jammed at his sides, making a perfect three-point landing - on his nose.
1986
Joliat was a little like Gordie Howe in that he could dipsy-doodle around in front of the opposing team's net until the goalie made the first move and then he would pull the trigger.
1989
Brown has always had creative ability. As a junior with Kamloops he would dipsy-doodle through the opposition. In the NHL, the five-foot-11, 185-pound forward has learned to let the puck do the work.
1998
Watching Brazil's Ronaldo and his prowess on the pitch is a lot like watching Wayne Gretzky dipsy-doodle through the opposition. Both look like they have a string attached to the ball or puck, one to his toe and the other his stick. The only difference is Ronaldo has a much better scoring average on breakaways.
2006
Murray should remind the players they're loved by their fans and they should go out and dipsy-doodle tonight against the Hurricanes.
4n. — Hockey
such a maneuvre, see meaning 1.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Like in meaning 3 for the verb, the attestations as a noun post-date the attestations as an adjective by several decades. The meaning is recently also attested in the football domain.
Quotations
1951
In a move to bring back the dipsy-doodle of yesteryear, Britain has boldly abolished hockey's red centre line. [...] The idea is to restore to hockey some of the stickhandling thrills served up in years gone by through such players as Albert and Tony Lemay of Ottawa, Jo-Jo Graboski from the Maritimes and the late Frankie Leblanc, one of the greatest exponents of an old and nearly-forgotten art.
1981
Perreault did a little dipsy-doodle and carried the puck right around Vladimir Golikov into the Soviet zone.
2010
Eberle is Edmonton's "other" first-round pick, selected 22nd overall in 2008. He was the 2010 Canadian Hockey League player of the year and has won gold and silver with Canada at the past two IIHF world junior championships. He's also the country's all-time leading scorer at the prestigious tournament.
The native of Regina scored in his first NHL game - a dazzling highlight-reel rush and dipsy-doodle around Calgary Flames defenceman Ian White in the Oilers' home opener.
2010
Deslauriers, meanwhile, made a series of 10-bell saves, including a wonderful pad robbery on Kyle Wellwood's dipsy-doodle with two minutes left. In the end, the industrious Oilers, while outchanced about three to one, earned their third straight victory -- against the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver.
5n. — in figurative use
an evasive strategy in a non-sports context, often in politics.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Transfer of hockey terms into other domains is a characteristic of Canadian English not likely to be found elsewhere.
Quotations
1983
By then Chrétien and Lalonde will have dipsy-doodled Canadians into believing the breaking of an old election promise is an act of both statesmanship and of compassion for the unemployed.
1989
If advance signs are correct, Wilson will have to do a new dipsy-doodle with the words in the April 27 budget speech. Without admitting the policies of the past haven't worked, he'll have to claim a new dose of tough medicine is needed and will work.
1994
Perhaps Mr. Klein is just following in these footsteps: a dipsy-doodle here, a pirouette over there. He seems to have an uncanny knack for knowing when to hold fast in the face of organized public opinion and when to cave in to the more potent, if inchoate, variety - in the process appearing to establish a direct current between the leader and his public.
6n. — Hockey
dipsy-doodler, one who is expert at dipsy-doodling.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Another derivation, the term is used most often in a hockey context. See, in this context, one of the oldest uses as a noun as plain dipsy-doodle in the 1942 quotation. The noun may also occur in the context of Canadian football.
Quotations
1942
Edgar Laprade, a stickhandling dipsy-doodle who reminded you of Aurel Joliat, wasn't so far behind Schmidt as an individual headliner - but that kid Dertell looked like a Vezina Trophy winner.
1953
This feeling obviously had been aggravated of recent date through a recurring back ailment and the great little dipsy-doodler convinced himself he could be of little use here. [...] We hope Bentley finds the western air to his liking, regains his health and confidence and returns to the National Hockey League again to bring the fans to their feet with his clever stickhandling.
1979
Dipsy-doodlers in blue and yellow shirts with a polar bear on the front occupied most of that space and were punished only once - when Washington Capital Rolf Edberg, just off the plane, was flattened at centre ice by Washington Capital Walter.
1984
He was known as the Dipsy-Doodle Dandy from Delisle, Sask., a tiny community just west of Saskatoon.
"He was the best, a dipsy-doodler who could really skate, and he was tremendous with the puck," said Vic Lynn of Saskatoon, who teamed with Bentley for three seasons with Toronto Maple Leafs.
1998
He can beat you with the swash or the buckle. He's a great dipsy-doodler, who can also get hard shot past you.
References
- AHD-5
- W-3
- COD-2
Images
