# Where did the phrase "in the zone" originate?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-phrase-in-the-zone-originate/610929>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 28, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-phrase-in-the-zone-originate/610929 "2012-01-28T00:25:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-phrase-in-the-zone-originate/610929/1 "2012-01-28T00:25:54Z")

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As well as “zoned out” and I think there’s another, but I can’t think of it now.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-phrase-in-the-zone-originate/610929/2 "2012-01-28T12:42:59Z")

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_In the zone_ seems to appear in US sports with a first cite(so far) of 1976. The article was talking about tennis and the feeling that one gets when everything about the game is going right.

_To zone in_ on something appears(so far) in 1958. The OED suggests that it was a similar use to _hone in on_ and _home in on_.

_Zone defense_, in US football, appears from 1927(Pop Warner).

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**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-phrase-in-the-zone-originate/610929/3 "2012-01-28T13:32:08Z")

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It started in the 1976 book “Inner Tennis,” [www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0394400437/ref=mp\_s\_a\_2?qid=1327757167&sr=8-2](http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0394400437/ref=mp_s_a_2?qid=1327757167&sr=8-2)

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-phrase-in-the-zone-originate/610929/4 "2012-01-29T00:46:52Z")

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I forgot you asked about “zone out.”

So far, 1982.

> [@OED](#):
>
> intr. U.S. slang. [Probably after zoned adj.] With out. To relax, to switch off, to detach oneself mentally from one’s surroundings; (also) to lose concentration or consciousness, to fall asleep.1982 N.Y. Times 28 Nov. v. 5/1 The highlight of my week was to go‥to Ranger games. It had nothing to do with my profession. I could just sit there and zone out.