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It
seems the word "cranky" did not arrive on the scene until
automobiles were invented. When a balky motor was hard to start,
requiring extra cranking, it was called cranky, among other epithets.
I'm not sure how the word applies to women.
A "buck moon" occurs in July when the new antlers on a buck
deer begin to emerge from the velvet casing provided by nature to
protect the new growth of antlers.
The "dog days of summer" has nothing to do with dogs on Earth.
The term comes from the fact that, from July 3 to August, the sun
occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius the Dog Star.
"Dinky Donkeys," or miniature Sardinian donkeys, were brought
to the U.S. in the 1920s by New York stockbroker Robert Green. They
now number into the thousands, making great pets, due to their mild
disposition. Miniature equines, or little horses, date to Renaissance
times, arriving in the U.S. in 1888 as a small Shetland horse named
Tum Tum.
Look into almost any farmer or rancher's closet and you will find
Carhartt overalls or coveralls. The durable work clothes
date to the 1880s, when Hamilton Carhart traveled from rail station
to rail station selling his work wear to railroad workers. Now selling
globally, and with an T added to the name, the company with 4,200
employees remains a family-owned enterprise.
Where did the name for the Canadian
River originate? Take your pick. Some believe it came
from early French traders from Canada on a hunting expedition. One
historian wrote in 1929 that, later, French explorers named it while
camped where the river runs into the Arkansas River.
Other believe the word is of Spanish origin, derived from the word
"canada," meaning canyon. This is because much of the river runs
through deep canyons.
A mule is an equine with long ears. A flop-eared mule has
ears that sometimes flop to the side when relaxed. A lop-eared mule
has shorter-than-natural ears. A notch-eared mule has an earmark
cut into the ear like earmarks for cattle. A gotch-eared mule has
ears that have been injured and aren't natural.
It seems like there was a "drug problem" in the old days
after all. The Alanreed Coffee Shop conversation brought this out
recently. One man stated he was "drug to church, to weddings and
funerals when he was young." Another said he was "drug to the woodshed
about once a week to get his rear warmed up for disobedience, telling
a fib or not saying 'yes sir' or 'no ma'am.' "
The third man said he was "drug to the kitchen sink occasionally
to wash out his mouth for cussing, to wash his neck and ears or
to take a dose of Swamp Root medicine to clean out the rust and
barnacles from his intestines after a long hard winter."
Those drugs must still be in their systems: They faithfully adhere
to those lessons today.
© Delbert Trew
"It's All Trew" December
15, 2009 Column
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