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Glite Dictionary
pall-mall

pall-mall

9.9
An old lawn game where people hit a wooden ball with a mallet along an alley
  • noun
  • /pælˈmæl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : pall-mall
  • During the 1600s, nobles often played pall-mall in specially prepared alleys.

Examples

  • They played pall-mall every Saturday afternoon.

  • The rules of pall-mall are believed to have influenced the development of croquet.

  • Archaeologists found remnants of pall-mall equipment in the old estate gardens.

  • Have you ever tried pall-mall?

  • The children enjoyed playing pall-mall on the grassy lawn during the sunny afternoon.

  • He explained the rules of pall-mall before their game began.

  • At the garden party, they set up a pall-mall court for everyone to enjoy.

Surface Forms

pall-mall singular
pall-malls plural

Etymology

Pall-mall comes from old Italian words palla 'ball' and maglio 'mallet'. So pall-mall was literally the name of a game where players struck a ball with a mallet along an alley, which is why the word means that lawn game.