pedespeed

plural pedespeeds

1. historicalobsoleteA 19th-century Victorian-era invention that served as an early, oversized precursor to roller skates.

   The "Pedespeed" is a novel and singular device for making locomotion easy and swift.

   1870 April 23, Unattributed, “Sayings and Doings”, in Harper's Bazaar Vol 3 Iss 17

   5 more examples

   The "pedespeed" is the name of the Latest Yankee notion for the purpose of increasing man's natural speed. The velocipede having played out, except as a device to increase labor, the "pedespeed" comes in. It consists of two wheels, fourteen or fifteen inches in diameter, one of which is attached firmly to each foot by means of a stirrup-like contrivance, and to those who understand it, possess all the capabilities of the skate.

   1870 March 24, Unattributed, “The Daily Commercial General and Particular”, in The Pittsburgh Commercial

   Withhold your admiration for a while, good reader, while we explain that it is a new device whereby every one of us may emulate the ancient Mercury, and have winged feet. To be more particular, the "pedespeed" is a wheel about fifteen inches in diameter, to which is attached certain stirrup-like appendages, on the bottom of which are foot-pieces shaped like ordinary skates.

   1871, Unattributed, Appletons' journal of popular

   The Pedespeed seemed to have obvious social advantages, but it had competition from devices like the bicycle skate, a two-wheeled gadget similar to the Pedespeed, and the Decemtuple, a bicycle for 10.

   1877, Bernard A. Weisberger, The Life History Of The United States Vol 7, page 30

   What have we to concern ourselves about in this presentation of the sprightly pedespeed? Simply this: these devices, when found, constitute an important link in the chain of what one day will be called the history of personal transportation. These devices, really, were more bicycle than roller skate.

   1955 December 29, Stella Wythe, “Pedespeeds, or Monocycles”, in Ceremonial Marchpane Mold - Spinning Wheel

   A surefooted few tried the pedespeed, "skating" off with wheels on their heels and look-no-hands flair.

   1975, National Geographic Book Service, We Americans, page 335