Wednesday WOLF - Run the Gauntlet

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.

Ever heard someone say they had to run the gauntlet? Most people know what this means, but not perhaps the origin of the word. And for those of you who don't know what it means, I'll enlighten you.

During the Thirty Years War (1618- 1648) the English army adopted a punishment they observed their German counterparts employing. The offending soldier stripped to the waist and ran between two lines of their fellow solders, each of whom was holding a whip or a lash, and they beat their buddy on the back as he passed. Number of run throughs and number of knots in the lashes depended upon the severity of the soldier's crime.

Sound rough? Well, we're German. However, the German army claimed to have picked it up from the Swedish, where it was known as gatloppe, literally translated as "the running of the lane."

So think about that next time you're in a really nice development whose streets are all called "Insert Relaxing Word Here - Lane."

Wednesday WOLF - Snickerdoodle

I'm a nerd. In fact, I'm such a big nerd that I tend to look up word origins in my spare time because I'm fascinated by our language. The odder the origin, the better. 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.

In any case, I thought I'd share some of this random crap with you in the form of the new 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.

Ever wonder where that yummy old pile of crumbly, the Snickerdoodle, got its whimsical name? As with most word origins, there are a few different answers, so pick the one you like best. I'm going with the German one, because the mother country still has its hooks in my heart, and because it makes the most sense.

The Joy of Cooking attributes the cookie to Germany, suggesting that the name is a corruption of the German word schneckennudeln, a type of cinnamon dusted sweet roll.

Because of the holiday connections involved with the snickerdoodle, some think that the name originated from the Dutch language contraction of "Saint Nicholas."

My thoughts?

They taste good.

Wednesday WOLF - From the Horse's Mouth

I'm a nerd. I'm in fact such a big nerd that I tend to look up word origins in my spare time because I'm fascinated by our language. The odder the origin, the better. 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.

In any case, I thought I'd share some of this random crap with you in the form of the new 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.

Today we're going to talk about horses. I learned a lot about horses as I worked on IN A HANDFUL OF DUST. I've not been in many saddles, but I'm told I "sit a horse well," which makes me feel accomplished.

So you've probably heard the phrase "form the horse's mouth," meant to indicate that the information being shared is definitely true. This saying came about because a horse's age can be accurately judged by looking at its teeth. If you were buying a horse you'd go straight to the horse's mouth to determine it's age, rather than rely on the honesty of the seller.

Now you know! However, I do not advise this approach on humans. It is both misleading and socially unacceptable.