# Tinkers to Evers to Chance **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2000, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496 "2000-11-24T03:39:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/1 "2000-11-24T03:39:34Z")
The famous (in its day) poem celebrating the Chicago basemen and their alleged ability to throw lots of double and triple plays makes reference to “bursting a gonfalon bubble”. What the heck is gonfalon? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/2 "2000-11-24T03:41:24Z")
Gonfalon is another word for “pennant” ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/3 "2000-11-24T03:53:46Z")
From the website [Merriam-Webster Online](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary): > [@](#): > > 2 : a flag that hangs from a crosspiece or frame Just in case you wanted some actual evidence supporting **BobT** ’s assertion. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/4 "2000-11-24T04:30:54Z")
The dictionary I looked it up in, which was admittedly cruddy, said “banner”. Shoulda made the connection, but didn’t. Shouldn’t have stolen all those Dilaudids. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/5 "2000-11-24T04:36:45Z")
My book of poems that contains “Tinker …” has an asterisk next to “gonfalon” and says it means “pennant”, so I don’t claim to have an all-ecompassing vocabulary. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/6 "2000-11-24T13:03:24Z")
Damn, **Bob** , I thought you simply knew that word by heart. ::sigh:: another cherished illusion blown away… ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/7 "2000-11-24T15:39:14Z")
Doesn’t this beg the question why this word isn’t in wider use? “Damn! The Expos lost again. So much for their gonfalon hopes”. “The race for the gonfalon is especially tight this year”. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/8 "2000-11-24T17:41:52Z")
Just read an early 20th century sports page reporting baseball game stories. You’ll see words like “gonfalon” and many others that haven’t been in vogue since before Ring Lardner was a sportswriter. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinkers-to-evers-to-chance/42496/9 "2000-11-24T18:23:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr\_Paprika \* > \*\*Doesn’t this beg the question why this word isn’t in wider use? “Damn! The Expos lost again. So much for their gonfalon hopes”. \*\* That’s because the Expos never really have a chance to capture the gonfalon! 🙂 Zev Steinhardt