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glory hole
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:glory-hole
n. — slang, Fishing
an especially good place to fish.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — The oldest and most common meaning of glory hole refers to an open-pit mine. DARE, s.v. "glory hole n." lists a number of meanings, OED-3, s.v. "glory-hole n.", list some more, yet none of these is close to 'rich fishing grounds'. The present meaning appears to be a semantic extension, as shown in the 1973 quotation.
The term lends itself to a number of meanings, including ad-hoc semantic extensions, from a word for storage rooms, via glass furnaces, to sexual meanings. None of these appears to have a particularly Canadian dimension.
Quotations
1973
For the Metro angler it's like a miner's glory hole.
1995
Dreaming of a favorite glory hole and its finned fighters? The next best thing to being there and doing it is to attend the Spring Fishing Show sponsored by Ontario Out Of Doors magazine and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. It's slated for the International Centre on Airport Rd., Feb. 17 to 19 and is almost as exciting as opening morning at streamside.
2002
Aric Raaflaub, 8, is a great fisher, but he's not much on cleaning them or even putting a worm on his hook.
"I like netting them," he said. "That's my job."
Aric landed two walleye in Lake Nipissing's glory hole out from the treatment plant Thursday night as more than 50 boats caught fish, most of them their limits.
Aric has some fishing secrets.
"But I'm not telling anyone," he said with a grin.
2009
While I occasionally mention fish size or numbers landed by the experts, I find making a practice of this counter productive to the novice struggling for one fish. I choose to leave location suggestion general because finding the glory hole yourself is part of the thrill when it all comes together.
References
- DARE
- OED-3