‘On Language’ 5/3: No horsing around: English at the racetrack
Horse-inspired vocabulary in winner’s circle next weekend
‘On Language‘
Chicago Tribune
May 3, 2006
By Nathan Bierma
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The Kentucky Derby puts horse racing at the center of American sports for one weekend each year, and it reminds us that horse racing once had a huge influence on American culture and the English language.
“The words we’ve added to the American vocabulary reflect our undertakings and devotions,” says Grant Barrett, author of the forthcoming “Official Dictionary of Unofficial English.”
“Think of the gambling terms (`ace up his sleeve,’ the gold-mining words (`pan out’ ). ... Horse racing’s introduction of new American words has been reinforced by its overlap with gambling and our greater past reliance upon the horse, which is still in our collective memory. But more importantly, who doesn’t love a horse?”
In preparation for Derby Day on Saturday, listen for the galloping hooves behind these familiar words and phrases:
Across the board: covering all categories. If you place a bet that a horse will win, and then place additional bets that the horse will place (finish second or higher) and show (third or higher), you’re betting across the board. No matter where the horse shows up on the board that displays the top finishers, you’ll win. The phrase eventually expanded to mean any kind of comprehensive covering of categories. ...