In the early 1600s a game was played in England by the wealthy as they rode their horses through the countryside. It was a form of what we would call “follow the leader,” and every rider followed the lead horse in a single file no matter where the rider and horse went, over hedges and fences, through rivers, etc…People believed that wild geese behaved in this way, following each other in single file, and thus the game was called a “wild goose chase.” Today it means an activity or pursuit that accomplishes nothing, which is exactly what those original riders accomplished, except perhaps being entertained.
In Shakespeare’s (pictured at the beginning of this post) time the word “jig” was a slang word for a trick. So, the phrase “the jig is up” simply meant that your trick or deceit has been found out. We use this phrase even today.
The word “moll” is a term for a woman who consorts with gangsters and derives from the name “Molly.” The term dates from the early 1600s and originally meant a prostitute. Molly is a linguistic corruption of the name Mary, which was either a general name used in reference to a prostitute, or was a reference to Mary Magdalene in the Bible, commonly believed to have been a prostitute.
The gangster’s “moll” arose because prostitutes are typical of the type of women criminals hang out with. However, the sense of a moll being a prostitute never became entrenched in America, and has come to simply mean a woman who consorts with criminals.
The “Jolly Roger” is a term which refers to the flag flown by pirates. Where does this come from? Was there ever a real “Roger”? There are two stories. Take your pick. One theory states that buccaneers who operated in the West Indies in the 1600s used a red flag dipped in either blood or paint to identify themselves, and to warn ships that they should give up without a fight or else they would all be killed. The French termed this flag the “joli rouge” (pretty red), and the English, with their typical disregard and disrespect for all things French, corrupted the term into the Anglicized words “Jolly Roger.” Thus, the term was born.
When the black flag with the symbol of the skull and crossbones started to appear on pirate ships in the 1700s, the term Jolly Roger was applied to them as well. Another creation story involves certain Asian pirates whose captains held he title “Ali Raja” (king of the sea). The English, again corrupting the pronunciation for their own use, and thinking nothing of it because, as far as they were concerned, they were the kings of the sea, turned this Far Eastern term into the name Jolly Roger.
Both of these stories are intriguing but the truth may lie in the fact that the word “roger” was an English reference to a wandering vagabond, and the term “old Roger” was an old English term used in chants when making reference to the devil. Confusing isn’t it?
The Latin word “barba” means “beard.” Thus, the origin of the English word “barber."
Today, when someone is the target of the anger, ire or meanness of another, they are sometimes referred to as that person’s “whipping boy.” The term has come to mean a scapegoat, or someone who is habitually picked on, or punished for the acts of another. Hundreds of years ago it was common practice for European princes to be raised along with a “common” person of the same age. Since aristocratic princes could not be disciplined in the same way ordinary children were (corporal punishment being very common), the commoner was beaten whenever the prince did something wrong. Royalty was considered sacred ("Divine Right of Kings" and all that) and not deserving to be struck, whatever the reason. The commoner who received the punishment for the young prince was referred to as the prince’s “whipping boy.”
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| Geese acting in unison brought about a common English term. |
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| The phrase is used for naming products, not just in everyday language. |
The word “gang” was in the English language by the 1600s, but it referred to “a herd of animals.” By the 1820s, the definition had changed in the U.S. to mean “a pack of dishonest politicians.” Only by the 1870s, the era of the “Robber Barons”, unregulated capitalism and the famous/notorious outlaws and gunmen (and women) of the "Wild West," did the word evolve to clearly mean “a group of criminals.”
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| Jesse Woodson James. He, and his cousin Cole Younger, were the leader of what was known as the "James-Younger Gang." |
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| Renaissance artist's rendering of Mary Magdalene. |
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| Virginia Hill, mistress of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, as well as of other organized crime figures. The quintessential "moll." |
In the 17th century a man named Jonas Bronck had a farm on land north of Manhattan Island. When friends of theirs were asked where they were going they would often reply, “We’re going to the Bronck,s for a visit.” That is why today, with a modification in spelling, “The Bronx” is one of the five boroughs of New York City. And, it is always referred to as “the Bronx”, not just “Bronx”, because of the family which was being visited by their friends hundreds of years ago.
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| Plaque marking the location of Jonas Bronck house built in 1663. His surname gives one of the boroughs of NYC its name. |
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| "Give up immediately, or all will die." |
Both of these stories are intriguing but the truth may lie in the fact that the word “roger” was an English reference to a wandering vagabond, and the term “old Roger” was an old English term used in chants when making reference to the devil. Confusing isn’t it?
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| "Old Roger" was an old English term for the Devil. |
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| A long, braided beard. |
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| The "commoner" took the punishment for the noble child. |
Although the practice in Europe of using a "whipping boy" was already an old one by the 1500s, the first recorded "whipping boy" was a healthy and strong young lad named Barnaby Fitzpatrick. He performed his job for the infirm and sickly son of King Henry VIII. Whenever Edward did not learn his lessons or misbehaved Barnaby would get a whipping or a thrashing.
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| King Henry VIII |
Henry's son would later become the young King Edward VI who died of consumption in 1553 at age 16. Barnaby Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, lived a long and healthy life (relative to the times he lived in) even though throughout his childhood he took the physical punishment which should have been directed at the young Edward.
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| King Edward VI, son of Henry VIII, died at age 16. |
FINIS