tammany

Pronounced: TAM-uh-nee, adj

Notes: The word was slightly familiar to me, but I did not know the definition

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Yesterday’s word

The word sclaff means “to scrape the ground instead of hitting the ball cleanly on a golf stroke”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Those of you who play golf may know this word; I don’t play golf, so it was unknown to me. There are several words in golf for poor shots: dub, slice, hook, top, pull, push, sky, shank, and sclaff. Our word came from the Scots word sclaff (a slap with palm of the hand). It is theorized that the similarity of the sound may have started the use of the word for hitting the ground instead of the ball. Our word can also be a noun referring to such a stroke.