DCHP-2

toboggan ((n.)) [< Cdn F tabagan(e) < Algonk.; cf. Mikmac tobagun, tobakun handsled] Although the modern spelling of this word is standardized, earlier writers used varied forms: tabagan, tabogan, tarbogan, tarboggin, tob(b)agan, tobogan, etc. DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

• 1a n.

  See 1820 quote.

  See also: Indian sled  toboggan sleigh  

  • a1820  (1838)  A tobogin is a small sleigh . . . of very simple construction, and capable of conveying from 100 to 140 pounds of clothes or other baggage. It is made of quarter-inch plank, about a foot and a half broad and eight feet long; the forward end is bent upwards, so as the more readily to pass over any obstructing body.
  • 1691  [tabaganne]
  • 1791  (1904)  [English Slay, an Indian carriage Chippeway Tarbinnáck.]
  • 1955  Algonquins and Iroquois found wooden toboggans handy in hauling food and fuel.
  • 1966  Toboggans were made of hardwood. . . .

• 1b n.

  any similar small freight sled adapted from that of the Indians, sometimes equipped with flat steel runners.

  • 1846  (1955)  With their snow-shoes loosely tied on, and their tobogin dragged from over the shoulder, they can get over a long journey without fatigue.
  • 1867  (1876)  If . . . the snow is soft, then I like the flat sleigh, usually styled a "tobogan," the better of the two.
  • 1871  Tabogans of all sizes and shapes are to be seen here, some of wood, others of sheet iron with and without runners.
  • 1883  So next morning they started, each man dragging behind him a large toboggan on which the meat was to be loaded.
  • 1963  This is hard on the toboggan, because the hard crust causes wear and tear. Steel runners are usually bolted to the undersides, and these take the weight and tear. It is also easy to run, regardless of weight. The only problem with steel runners is that they can't be used in the cold weather. A toboggan with runners does not always stay on the trail.

• 2 n.

  a similar sled used for coasting down snow-covered hills for fun and sport.

  See also: tobogganing  

  • 1846  (1927)  One of the great amusements for visitors is to climb up to the top of this cone and slide down again in a tarboggin.
  • 1853  Again, in moon-lit evenings . . . civilians, military, married or unmarried, spend the greater part of the night sliding down a hill in a species of sleigh called by the Indians Tobaggan.
  • 1935  In winter the children coasted down the slopes on small toboggans. . . .
  • 1955  They shipped me down the mountain in a toboggan. . . .

• 3 n.

  a large runnerless sled pulled by one horse.

  See also: carriole ((n.)) (def. 2b)  

  • 1954  Another device that added new zest to the sport was riding the teetering deck of a horsedrawn toboggan.
  • 1960  John [led] the way on snowshoes; Eliza next in a long coffin-like toboggan pulled by a horse, then another toboggan carrying kit and "everything else" lashed to it. . . .

• 4 n. — North

  in the North and Northwest, a light tobogganlike dog sled into which a single passenger or a load is laced securely, the dog-driver following behind. [See picture at cariole ((n.)).]

  See also: cariole ((n.)) (def. 2a and picture).  tabanask  

  • 1881  The dogs broke through the ice and the toboggan started to go down, and they had to scramble to solid ice.
  • 1927  The trail came out again on the Peel, and three miles on, they found two more sets of dog-harness and a toboggan.
  • 1952  Beside one tent was a tiny flat toboggan with high, caribou skin sides--just big enough for a baby or a big doll.
  • 1963  . . . I picked up my toboggan rope, spoke quietly to the dogs and continued my journey.

• 5 n.

  a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan.]

  See also: motor toboggan (and picture)  

  • 1964  The other type of toboggan seems faster in the open going. . . .
  • 1967  The abandoned toboggan was discovered Saturday on the lake ice.