I've got a collection of random information in my brain that makes me an awesome Trivial Pursuit partner, but is completely useless when it comes to real world application. Like say, job applications. I thought I'd share some of this random crap with you in the form of another acronym-ific series. I give you - Word Origins from Left Field - that's right, the WOLF. Er... ignore the fact that the "from" doesn't fit.
Our interesting word origin for today comes complete with a legend, and kings, and swine! We all know that being bull-headed means that you're a very stubborn person, but being pig-headed means that you're.... well, kind of a jerk and always want to get your own way. I'm totally fine with being bull-headed (and freely admit to being so), however, being pig-headed is a different story.
So where does it come from? Interestingly, I thought this one would be fairly simple but I had to do some digging, and I'm not entirely confident on the sources for this one. But like a true writer I like the story so much I just feel like sharing it.
My research led me to two different references to a legend from the Middle Ages set in Indonesia. The story goes that there was a king who could enter a meditative state so deep, that his head could be lopped off with a sword, then placed back on his neck without any detriment to himself. It was kind of his thing, and he like to show off a bit.
So, one day, his servant lopped his head off, but it rolled rather far away and could not be found. Apparently there's a time limit on unconscious-head-reattachment, so the servant quickly decapitated a pig and tossed that on the body so that the king could reanimate himself.
But when he did he was totally pissed.
He had the servant killed, but he was stuck with the pig head, and spent the rest of his life kind of being a pretentious jerk about it. So - lesson learned - don't encourage people to chop your head off.