seagull

v. to hang back and await an opportunity to benefit from desirable circumstances found or created by other people. Subjects: English

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Citations: 1984 Carrie Dolan @ Crescent Beach, Alaska Wall Street Journal (Sept. 26) “Digging for Clams In Wilds of Alaska Has a Certain Appeal”: A digger will then take a single stab with his spade, reach elbow-deep into the frigid mud, and yank out his prey. Then he tosses the captured clam between his legs into a five-foot-long sack he drags along. Digging too close to another digger—a practice called “sea-gulling”—is considered to be in poor taste. 1985 Stephen Jones Sunday Times (London, England) (Dec. 8) “Rugby Union: Contenders sorted out”: The rest were monumentally unremarkable and it could well be held that the back row contributed to the demise of their front five by seagulling around the fringes of the scrum, instead of staying down and shoving hard. 2003 Peter Genovese The Jersey Shore Uncovered (Oct. 1) p. 67: The final few yards is elbowing, sand-spraying pandemonium, as contestants dive headfirst, grapple, and fight for batons, sometimes waiting to let others grasp and miss before making their move. “Sea-gulling,” one competitor calls it, a reference to sea gulls hanging back from the pack to snatch overlooked French fries off the boardwalk. 2005 Steve Cooper Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia) (Jan. 16) “Hook, line & sinker” p. V13: Tony Bennet casts first. As he slowly retrieves, a cod misses the lure and leaves a telltale swirl at the surface. Three other lures are immediately cast to the same spot—a system affectionately known as “sea gulling.” Rod MacKenzie, Gus Storer and I have the same idea.

Posted 4 Apr 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend