Showing posts with label badger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label badger. Show all posts

Monday, 31 October 2022

Animal Names from Yesteryear

As a boy I recall those traditional names given to animals: badgers were always known as 'Brock'; horses were Dobbin; and Reynard was the name for all foxes (be they dog or vixen). Regular visitors will already have guessed I thought it time that the etymologist (or slightly older boy, if you prefer) should investigate.

Brock the badger is the ideal start, at least for the etymologist, for the animal has been known as a badger since around 1520. Prior to that the largest carnivore in the British Isles was known as a brocc, this an Old English loan word from the languages of the Celtic peoples - Old Irish brocc and Welsh broch two examples. Interesting to note that Middle English brocc was used to mean 'a low, dirty fellow', most often preceded by 'stinking'. Anyone who has ever got close enough to a badger will know they do fit this description, at least aromatically speaking.

Reynard the fox was the title of a series of stories, but the trail goes back much earlier than that. It came to English from Old French in the late 13th or early 14th centuries, the French word came from the Old High German personal name Reginard, itself related to the Latin name Raginohardus - the latter meaning 'strong in counsel' and an early example of the wisdom and cunning associated with this highly successful mammal. The popularity of the stories in France has led to reynard being used as the word for 'fox' in France, replacing the earlier goupil, itself derived from the Latin vulpecula.


Neddy the donkey is only seen in Britain, at least for the most part. In Australia racehorses are known as 'neddy'. Any etymological explanation is lost, but it seems likely to be related to Neddy (or Ned) being used as a pet form of Edward.

Buttercup the cow is probably the obvious answer, butter being associated with dairy and cows. Buttercups were once known by two other names - either a goldcup or a butterflower, thus the modern name borrows a bit of each (and may have been a cupflower). The irony being that certain buttercups contain a chemical called Protoanemonin which is toxic to cattle,

Dobbin the horse was a common name for a working horse, especially a farm horse, and is given as such in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, although certainly used earlier. It seems to be a later version of Dob, a pet form of Robin or Robert. Note 'Dobbie', the name of the elf in Harry Potter, was used to mean 'household sprite' from the late 18th century, while in Sussex it had also been used earlier to describe a 'silly old man'.


Fido the dog comes from a Latin word which meant 'to trust or confide in' and most often used to state 'I am faithful', which is what dogs are deemed to be. Personally I think they are only following their natural instincts and if you were to fuss and pet me and feed me whenever I demand, I'd be pretty faithful, too - just don't throw the ball and expect me to retrieve it.

Tiddles the cat is derived from the Old English word tid meaning 'weak, tender'. Indeed, the first syllable of 'tender' shares that origin, while it is still used in English in the word 'tidbit' - yes, I know the English tend to use 'titbit' but the Americans, and quite correctly, have not corrupted it and still say 'tidbit'.

Quackers the duck was the only modern one I could find, and there's no need to explain that, but research revealed that ducks, and indeed many waterfowl, have been known as Arsefoot for more than four centuries. Of course, this refers to their legs being set back on the body (it helps with swimming).


Bobby-Dazzler - now I know you are going to think this is a term used to describe someone of glitzy appearance, but it began as a reference to a butterfly. Indeed, 'bobby' was also used to describe a plant which was covered in invertebrates - buddleia and butterflies, nettles and caterpillars, etc.

Moths were once known as candleflies - no explanation needed there.

Dumbledore - another J K Rowling loan, but it was an Old English word for any buzzing or humming insect.

Sunday, 12 January 2014

Lice, Cucumbers, Sex and Ninjas.

A new year, well new-ish, and this week I discovered the 27th January will be marked in the USA by Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, the purpose of which is not to protect valuable fragile items but to pop the bubbles to your heart’s content. (No, neither do I.) This did make me wonder what delightful National Awareness Days we in the United Kingdom have to look forward to. The following have been noted in my diary.

January 14th is STIQ Day – when we are to ask ourselves if we are acting responsibly when it comes to sexually transmitted infections. While I understand the IQ added to STI, perhaps an acronym standing for Sexually Transmitted Intelligence Quotient is likely to be misunderstood.

January 31st is National Bug Busting Day. It seems this day, to be repeated on June 15th and October 31st, will see all-out war against head lice when ‘all will be found and zapped in one fell swoop’. I can’t stop scratching my head when typing it, hence I shall be ignoring it completely at the end of the month.

February 14th is National Think About Sex Day. Apparently men do so 13 times each day in comparison to 5 times a day for women. I’m assuming the idea on Valentine’s Day is to get one of the 13 to correspond with one of the 5?

March 28th is National Skipping Day. This is the skipping with the rope and to encourage those who are presumed too young to participate in the February event to see how exercise can also be fun. My first thought was of the ‘skipping down the street’ once seen in many children’s stories – something I have not seen for decades.

April 5th is International Pillow Fight Day. The whole point of this really escapes me, the only point to catch my attention was the warning not to swing the pillow too hard as it might hurt. So why do it?

May 12th is National Cucumber Day and celebrated by CueFest. It might make more sense if it was later in the year when people could have grown their own.

May 18th is Random Huggers Day and whilst I’m not averse to a hug from time to time, it must be remembered I am British and there is nothing random about hugging.

May 25th is Towel Day and at last an event that makes perfect sense. I shall, of course, be carrying my towel and hoping I am rewarded by a lift.

June 1st is Butterfly Education and Awareness Day. Clearly it is easier to absorb information while still young and thus in a class full of very mature students results are never going to be too thrilling.

July 11th is World Population Day, which I think might involve some sort of ritual cull.

August 13th is Left Handers Day and only included because I was relieved to find it had nothing to do with the events of February 14th and May 18th.

September 19th is International Talk like a Pirate Day, which should be renamed Robert Newton’s Only Claim to Fame Day.

October 5th is National Badger Day, which would have troubled our ancestors as the word ‘badger’ was once solely used for those trying to sell something. Perhaps I should be expecting even more calls about PPI and Personal Injury than normal.

November 30th is Buy Nothing Day, which I actually learned from as it appears there are people out there who spend money on purchases every single day of their lives.

December 5th is the Day of the Ninja. Encouraging people to wear a ninja mask to work seems an odd idea anywhere, but especially so for those who install CCTV cameras.

Incidentally the USA have a wondrous day on Tuesday 14th, no help is required for National Dress Your Pet Up Day (American aquarists might want to post pictures).

I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.