In the late 19th century, Cambridge University was one of the most eminent schools in England. The sons of the rich and wealthy went there for their educations. Besides attending to their studies, students at Cambridge engaged in sporting activities which were offered for their health and entertainment. One of the most popular sports was competitive rowing ("sculling"). The members of the University rowing team were some of the "coolest," most fashionable and sought after young men on campus and were greatly admired. This led, it seems, to them feeling somewhat special because they were recognized wherever they went on campus.
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| Saint John's College, Cambridge University, U.K. |
The young men were trendy and very much in vogue, but the amount of popularity they enjoyed was, apparently, not enough for their expanded sense of self-importance. They were members of the "Saint John's College, Cambridge, Boat Club" and, in 1889, they decided on a plan to attract even more attention to themselves. One of the members of the club came up with the idea of a unique jacket that would be worn only by the members of their rowing club. They designed it to be unlike the jackets of their parents' generation, which were longer and more formal looking.
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| The fathers of these young men would have worn a formal jacket similar to this. |
So, a tailor was called in to take the measurements of each of the young men. The task completed, the last decision to be made was, what color should these jackets be? The color chosen was one that is best described as "fire engine red." It was chosen by the club because it would make them even more conspicuous on campus. Now, they could be seen coming from a long distance away. "Look! It's a member of the rowing team," other students would say, admiringly seeing this bright red color from afar. It made young men who were already full of themselves even more "visible" to the rest of the student body.
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| This jacket differs radically from the one above. |
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| A "scull" is the boat the rowers use for exercise and competition. |
As time passed, the word "blazer" made its way into common usage, and that style of jacket became very popular, in a variety of colors, spreading from England to America by the 1900s. One of the most popular "blazers" in the world today is the one given to the winner of the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. It is forest green in color and is pictured below:
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| Phil Mickelson receiving the "Masters jacket" in 2006, from Tiger Woods, the winner in 2005. |
LET'S SEE IT ON VIDEO! THIS TIME FOR HIS WINNING
THE MASTER'S TOURNAMENT, AGAIN, IN 2010
THE MASTER'S TOURNAMENT, AGAIN, IN 2010
It just occurred to me that the "blazer" originated in England. We then went to The Masters Golf Tournament in the U.S.A. for a look at one of the world's most famous blazers. Now, let's travel back across the Atlantic. Golf was invented in Great Britain, in Scotland to be precise, in the 1600s. The original golf balls were made of feathers and leather. Wet feathers were compressed into a small sphere and then covered and stitched up tightly inside a round piece of leather. As the feathers dried they expanded, making this small ball very hard, and the first "golf balls" were created.
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| Early golf ball made of feathers and stitched up pieces of cow hide. |
One thing always seems to lead to another and that is why I love history and language so very much. So, if you will allow me, I offer you one more "digression" since the word "university" appeared so many times in the above post.
A DETOUR INTO ANOTHER WORD HISTORY:
The word "varsity," meaning the first string of a college or high school athletic team, comes to us from England and is a shortened form of the word "university." Originally, in England, it meant the university team (their best players). This derivation can be seen clearly because the word "varsity" first appeared (as far as historians are aware) in 1846 and meant the teams of either Oxford or Cambridge universities. An earlier form of this word was "versity," which indicates even more clearly that "varsity" is a shortened form of "university."
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| Let's give Oxford its due. It gets its name from the fact that it was founded near a fording place for oxen on a nearby river. Does the Oxford sculling team practice on that river? |
Since the words "fire" and "ablaze" appear in this post, you might find another of my posts of interest.
Take a look at my November 2nd, 2011, article which is entitled "WHY DO WE SAY "YOU'RE FIRED" WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR JOB? What does fire have to do with losing your job?