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Pell-mell

.

Headlong; in reckless confusion. From the players of pallmall, who rush heedlessly to strike the ball. The “pall” is the ball (Italian, palla), and the “mall” is the mallet or bat (Italian, maglia; Latin, malleus). Sometimes the game is calledpall mall;” and sometimes the ground set apart for the game, as Pall Mall, Londo.

⁂ It is not quite certain that pell-mell is the same compound word as pall-mall.

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Pegg (Katharine)
Pegging Away (Keep)
Peine Forte et Dure
Pelagianism
Pelagius
Pelf
Pelias
Pelican
Pelides
Pelion
Pell-mell
Pellean Conqueror
Pelleas (Sir)
Pells
Pelops
Pelorus
Pelos [mud]
Pelt
Pen Name
Pen and Feather
Penang Lawyers