Zimmer says that the Comte de Rochambeau had no involvement with the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The earliest known use of "roshambo" as a synonym for the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors is found in a 1936 book called The Handbook for Recreation Leaders, published in Oakland, California. However, “there’s no historical evidence of it going back to Revolutionary times,” Zimmer tells Lexicon Valley. His name served as a codeword at the battle of Yorktown, where he commanded the French troops. This week, the Slate podcast Lexicon Valley invited Wall Street Journal language columnist Ben Zimmer to dive into the origins of the moniker "roshambo."Īccording to certain legends, the term dates back to the Comte de Rochambeau, a French nobleman who fought against the British during the Revolutionary War (and gets a shoutout in hit musical Hamilton). In the U.S.,the term is more commonly used on the West Coast, especially in northern California. In some circles, the decisive game of Rock, Paper, Scissors goes by another name: roshambo.
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