Jokes: Where did "high ball" come from?
(Fontana Lake Specific)
0 messages
Updated
Lakes Online Forum
84,091 messages
Updated 11/8/2024 10:28:12 AM
Lakes Online Forum
5,204 messages
Updated 9/14/2024 10:10:50 AM
(Fontana Lake Specific)
0 messages
Updated
Lakes Online Forum
4,172 messages
Updated 9/9/2024 5:04:44 PM
Lakes Online Forum
4,262 messages
Updated 11/6/2024 6:43:09 PM
Lakes Online Forum
2,979 messages
Updated 6/26/2024 5:03:03 AM
Lakes Online Forum
98 messages
Updated 4/15/2024 1:00:58 AM
Fontana Lake Photo Gallery





    
Welcome, Guest Select View Mode: [ classic | beta | recent ]
Name:   architect The author of this post is registered as a member - Email Member
Subject:   Where did "high ball" come from?
Date:   11/26/2010 4:24:02 PM

Today we still sometime use the word "high ballin" to mean going really fast. I have no idea if this story is true, but when I was growing up we lived next to a man who worked in a white collar position for the Southern Railroad. He was something of a railroad historian and once told my father and me of the railroad orgins of the term "high ballin". At that time (1950's) most rail signals had become the still used red/yellow/green lights for stop/proceed slowly and with caution/proceed. This system had replaced the old semaphore system where horizontal/45 degree/vertical positions signalled stop/caution/proceed. He said In the earliest rail days a large ball on a mast was the common signal system. The ball was placed low on the mast/half up the mast/at the top of the mast for stop/caution/proceed...hence the high ball meant you could go fast or "high ball" it.

Now...can anyone tell us where term "high ball" for a drink comes from and whether it relates to this tale?
Other messages in this thread:View Entire Thread
Where did Piss Poor come from? - HubCap - 11/23/2010 8:08:16 AM
      Where did "high ball" come from? - architect - 11/26/2010 4:24:02 PM



Quick Links
Fontana Lake News
Fontana Lake Photos
Fontana Lake Videos




About Us
Contact Us
Site Map
Search Site
Advertise With Us
   
Fontana.USLakes.info
THE FONTANA LAKE WEBSITE

Copyright 2024, Lakes Online
Privacy    |    Legal