“YORKER” AND “MAIDEN”
A “yorker” is a full-pitched cricket ball, which first touches the ground at the batsman’s block. It is said to have received its name from being the favourite style of bowling of a well-known Yorkshire cricketer. A “maiden” is an “over” in which no runs are made. This use of the word falls under its secondary (signification—“fresh, new, unpolluted.” With this term we may compare such phrases as “maiden assize,” an assize at which there is no criminal business; “maiden fortress,” one which has never been captured; “maiden sword,” one which has not been dyed in blood.
“This hand of mine Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand.” —Shakespeare.
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Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 21 February 1931, Page 3
Word Count
113“YORKER” AND “MAIDEN” Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 21 February 1931, Page 3
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