Word: gamesmanly
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1948-1948
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...author, Stephen Potter, is an Englishman who insists that he learned "gamesmanship" as late as 1931, and from another gamesman, instead of at his nanny's knee. Students of the British character may challenge this assertion. He was playing a match of tennis doubles against two athletic young men, Smith and Brown. Potter and his partner, the hardened metaphysician C.E.M. Joad, could scarcely touch the first two cannon balls served to them by Smith, and only by accident did the third one hit Joad's racket, rebounding wildly across the net and landing twelve feet out of court...
...golf, "Do not attempt to irritate partner by spending too long looking for your lost ball. This is unsporting. But the [good] gamesman makes a great and irritatingly prolonged parade of spending extra time looking for his opponent's ball...
...Thus the gamesman callously makes use of Sportsmanship itself, only one gambit among others that include Luncheonship, Guestmanship, Advicemanship, Clothesmanship and Brinkmanship. In addition, Author Potter has invented the following conversational "ploy" (gamesman for tactic) which he gives as an example of the "secondary hamper...
...Gamesman: 'I was fortunate enough to meet your daughter on Sunday.' " Layman: 'Yes, indeed - I know. She told me.' " Gamesman: 'What wonderful hair - a real Titian.'" Layman: 'Oh - no - that can't have been my daughter - that was Ethel Baird.' " Gamesman: 'Really. But I thought I was talking to your - ' " Layman: 'You were, but that was earlier on.'" Gamesman: 'Was it - but what was the colour of your daughter's hair?" Layman: 'Well-a sort of brown-' Gamesman: "Of course. Of course...