Dictionary.net

pel-mel', n. an old game, in which a ball was driven through an iron ring with a mallet: an alley where the game used to be played, hence the street in London.--adv. in pall-mall fashion. [O. Fr. pale-maille--Old It. palamaglio--palla--Old High Ger. pallá (Ger. ball, Eng. ball), and maglio--L. malleus, a hammer.]

n. [French, Latin] An old game in which a wooden ball was driven with a mallet through an iron arch; also, the mallet used in striking the ball—it was often played in St. James's Park, London, and gave name to the street bordering on the park.