custead (12/26/82)
The discussion of "fossil words" suggests another interesting aspect of the language: "fossil expressions". Fossil is not exactly the right word but I am thinking of expressions that entered the language during an earlier era and are preserved as cliches even though the experiences that gave rise to them originally are no longer applicable. Prime examples are cliches involving horses: Locking the barn door after the horse is gone. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. That's a horse of a different color. He's a real horse trader. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Don't change horses in mid-stream. You wouldn't think that analogies involving horses and barn doors would be the images that spring into the mind of modern urban dwellers, but these phrases roll glibly off the tongue. They must have originated at a time when that majority of the population had a rather more intimate acquaintance with horses than we do today. not afraid to horse around... custead of the western provinces
haight (01/05/83)
A good horse expression my father used: "Never be seen on a trotting horse.": I.e., an imperfection that even the most fussy will not notice (generally a lie). There are lots of other terms that involve such "country matters" -- consider: stockbroker -- someone who sells livestock? earmark -- a kind of cattle brand (cut a distinctive notch out of an ear).