DCHP-2

puck-ragging puck ragging DCHP-2 (May 2016)

• 1 n. & adj. — Hockey

  keeping possession of the puck as a defensive measure.

  Type: 4. Culturally Significant — As seen in Chart 1, the term is also a Canadianism in terms of frequency, as it is overwhelmingly used in hockey contexts in Canada, but not in the US.

  See also: hockey  puck  rag the puck  

  • 1928  The Post Colborne-South Porcupine interleague intermediate play-off at Arena Gardens on Saturday night was "all hockey all the time," to quote an old-time who has been an Arena habitue for many years. These teams have been too astute to adopt the puck-ragging, superdefensive tactics first specialized by the pros, but afterward aped by some of the O.H.A. teams. 
  • 1946  Morehouse held Slowenski and the Ottawa forward swing [sic] his stick but Morehouse drew the penalty. While he was off Joannete did some beautiful puck ragging and bested Fraser on a solo rush. 
  • 1963  Dunny got a three-year, no-cut contract from the Maroon founders. At five-feet-six and 145 pounds, he never hit headlines as a goal producer. But he was a smooth little forward, adept at puck-ragging and penalty-killing. 
  • 1986  Stick-handling, or puck-ragging, call it what you will, was an integral part of the game -- almost as important as the ability to skate, when trying to crack the lineup of an NHL team -- or any team, for that matter. 
  • 1991  The Jets were scoreless on two power-play chances mainly to fine puck-ragging by Theoren Fleury. 
  • 2006  Kristian Huselius, however, doesn't dig dump-ins. Why do that, wonders the puck-ragging Swede, when you can hang on to it, hang on to it and then -- just for a change of pace -- hang on to it some more? With his slick stickhandling, with his tricky lateral and diagonal movements, Huselius is seemingly the antithesis of what Calgarians have come to expect from a Flames player in the Darryl Sutter era. 
  • 2016  The Leafs, of course, did not choose the big, puck-moving defenceman their coach coveted. They opted for a small, puck-ragging forward favoured by Mark Hunter, the director of player personnel. 

• 2 n. & adj. — in figurative use

  intentional time-wasting or inactivity.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — As the quotations show, this hockey term has expanded its semantic functions via metaphorical use. Given the importance of hockey in Canada, this is no surprise and is matched for other terms as well; see, e.g. game seven or hang up one's skates, which are also used in non-hockey contexts, among others.

  See also: game seven (meaning 2)  hang up one's skates (meaning 3)  rag the puck (meaning 2)  

  • 1983  The only official explanation for the slow development of paramedic training - that it is only one part of a "comprehensive emergency health care system" that must be developed - sounds suspiciously like the sort of bureaucratic puck-ragging that happens all too often in government. 
  • 2005  The delays have fuelled cynicism among observers, who know the telltale signs of political puck-ragging too well. "Big lead-up, promises of grand new initiatives and leaks of all sorts of recycled ideas," says Ross McKitrick, an environmental economist at the University of Guelph, who's been following the Kyoto process for years. 
  • 2008  But Edmontonians have every right to expect that we will not be plagued by offensive public behaviour. Thus far, the response from both city hall and the police to something thousands of Edmontonians care about is more puck-ragging and shrugs of resignation. 
  • 2012  But on other topics, it is a puck-ragging government eager to post-pone a difficult decision that sets up a premier's advisory council or royal commission or blue-ribbon panel - on universal medicare in the past, and probably pension reform and taxes in the future.