Jobs & Education1 min ago
"bunch of fives"
How old is the saying "A bunch of Fives"? I found it in a book on boxing dating from the 1820s, but has anyone found it earlier?
Answers
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.'Fives' as the name of the game played by hand on a 'fives court' dates back at least to the 1600s, which is long before the use of 'fives' to mean just 'the hand' as in 'a bunch of fives'. My Westmacott reference is offered by the 'OED' as the oldest recorded use of the phrase, but yours seems to predate that by five years at least.
It would be interesting to see more of the surrounding words than the one short sentence you've provided. I'm not even too sure what your sentence actually means, to be honest! Does it mean you can have caper sauce and a smack in the mouth if you want them?
If the reference is as you say, I would get in touch with the 'OED' people and point out your earlier version...it might then appear in a future edition!