http://wordie.org/words/gamming Comments for the word 'Gamming' http://wordie.org http://wordie.org/words/gamming#comments "We strolled across the frozen sea to visit the other ships, the nearest of which was two miles away. Visiting is called <a href="/words/gamming">gamming</a> by whalers. We learned the gossip of the fleet, who had taken the first whale...."<br />--Walter Noble Burns, <i>A Year with a Whaler</i>, 99 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:13:00 +0000 http://wordie.org/words/gamming#comments http://wordie.org/words/gamming#comments "The common <a href="/words/eider">eider</a> is called '<a href="/words/gammy bird">gammy bird</a>' in Newfoundland for its habit of gathering in flocks for sociable quacking sessions. The name is related to the days of sail, when two ships falling in with each other at sea would back their yards and shout the news. The ship to windward would back her main yards and the one to leeward her foreyards for close maneuvering. This was gamming." --E. Annie Proulx, <i>The Shipping News</i> Sun, 30 Dec 2007 03:37:43 +0000 http://wordie.org/words/gamming#comments