There’s no doubt that the term Highball has long been used by American railwaymen as that of a signal to the locomotive engineer to proceed.
The signal itself was a ball large enough to be plainly visible which, when hoisted to the top of a mast at the approach to a small station, indicated that a train could proceed without stopping, that neither passenger, freight, nor express was awaiting it.
Presumably this sense was somehow transferred to an iced alcoholic beverage about sixty years ago, but if so, the connection has not yet been determined.
Possibly some passenger who had over-indulged in the beverage vaguely saw a resemblance between the floating ice at the top of the glass to the ball of the signal, and the tall glass to the mast.
Related Posts
-
What Does the Term “A1 Condition” Mean and Where Did the Term Come From?
In their early days, Lloyd's of London used an "A list" to classify sailing ships for insurance purposes. Only vessels meeting strict specifications would go to the top of that list, where they…
-
What Does the Term “Alma Mater” Mean and Where Did the Term Come From?
It all starts in kindergarten, a German concept meaning "children's garden," where the atmosphere for learning should be as pleasant for a child as being in a garden. School follows the same philosophy…
-
What Does the Term “Straw Boss” Mean and Where Did the Term For Work Supervisor Come From?
A straw boss is usually a supervisor or foreman of menial work, and the label comes from the farm. The "big boss" was in charge of the entire threshing crew, whose main task…
-
Where Did the Term “Noon Hour” Come From and What Did the Term For Midday Mean Originally?
The "noon hour" has shifted several times throughout history, and at one time, when Christians prayed twice a day, it meant both midday and midnight. In the original Old English the noon hour…
-
Where does the term “MacAdam” come from and What does MacAdam mean?
Although born in Scotland, John Loudon McAdam went to New York in 1770, at the age of fourteen, to work with an uncle. He returned to Scoltand when a young man of twenty-seven…
-
What does the term “Charley horse” mean and Where does the phrase come from?
A paragrapher in Ladies' Home Journal (Vol. LXX, No. 12) asserted without hesitation that the term "Charley horse" for muscular stiffness came about thus: In the 1890's, a horse (named Charley) which drew…
