Linguists Argue That Golf Doesn't Mean "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden", however

[SPKrazy]

how do they know for sure, the etymology of the word is apparently uncertain at best.

So what do you think? It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it were the origin, however, who knows? :shrug:

[GOPisEvil]

1. Given that the game was invented by the Scots, I believe the word "golf" is a

corruption of the native tongue word for the game.

[SPKrazy]

2. That's a theory

however it isn't a certainty that is the origin

[GOPisEvil]

3. I suppose not, but I think the "acronym" crowd has an axe to grind.

That's just my biased opinion though. :)

[LisaM]

4. Are you saying, then, that BOAT

Doesn't mean "Bring Out Another Thousand" (dollars that is!)

And FIAT doesn't mean "Fix it Again, Tony?"


Does anything mean ANYTHING?

[GOPisEvil]

5. Aside from FORD being "Found On Road Dead", no.

;)

[LisaM]

6. Not even USC

meaning "University of Spoiled Children"?

[GOPisEvil]

8. Oh, good point.

But then, people who use that still have an axe to grind. ;)

[LisaM]

10. Nah, I had never heard it used in a sports context.

I heard it on Stephanie Miller once (and she went there!)

[kentauros]

27. I just have an adze to grind.

It's awl wright :P

[KitchenWitch]

14. First On Race Day.... GEEZ

[yellowdogintexas]

30. Fix Or Repair, Daily nt

[SPKrazy]

7. ROFL

are you saying that isn't roll on the floor laughing :rofl:

[LisaM]

9. Nice avatar!

I am a southpaw too, BTW. GMTA.

[SPKrazy]

12. Yeah I noticed we both have Sylvia!

:hi:

:thumbsup:

[LisaM]

16. I don't know if it's still available

But the review Court Green put out by Columbia College Chicago had, as its latest dossier, a series of poems inspired by her as a subject. Very enjoyable.



http://english.colum.edu/courtgreen/


(Ever gone on the Sylvia Plath boards and seen how they refer to Ted Hughes? Fun times if you ever feel like getting whipped into a frenzy).

[Hangingon]

11. Back in '60 I had a FIAT 600

Its reliability caused me to think FIAT means Fix it again Tony but it actually stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino

[LisaM]

13. I actually know that!

Believe it or not. Strange, eh? I USED to know what the ALFA in Alfa Romeo stood for too, but now I can't remember.

[Hangingon]

19. ALFA = Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili

ALFA lineage goes back to a company set up to work on French taxis. Romeo was a director who cam along in WW1. Great cars and a great racing history - especially Tazio Nuvolari.

[LisaM]

24. And Ferrari was their engineer

If I am remembering correctly. There is a gorgeous, but gorgeous Alfa Romeo 1927 convertible that is my favorite car of all time.

I don't think this is the right year, but it looks somewhat like the car at the link




And the particular one I like was once owned by Charles Addams.

[Hangingon]

29. Yes and Enzo was also the racing team manager.

[Elidor]

21. Which is Italian for "Fix it again, Tony"

:P

[tjwmason]

33. FIAT is an acronym

Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Car Factory of Turin)

[Deja Q]

15. The orginal word being 'flog'?

[Taverner]

20. It was probably originally called "Gorf"

As in "Gorf de ball!"

[KG]

25. i think it came from the snoring sound people make while 'watching' it on TV

[realisticphish]

17. no

just like fuck isn't "for use of carnal knowledge" or some shit. why would scots in the 1400's, who more than likely spoke gaelic, or old english at best, use those particular words, nevermind the fact that there are a wealth of pursuits that were traditionally "men only". Why would they pick out this particular game, then give it an acronym?

the word "gowff" meaning "strike hard" makes more sense to me.


also, S.O.S. does NOT mean "save our ship." or "saucepans" ;)

[IronLionZion]

18. Wikipedia entry lists the etymology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf

Etymology

The word Golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf,<1> possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be derived from the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat," or "club," and the Dutch sport of the same name. It is often claimed that the word originated as an acronym for "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden", but this is strictly a false etymology.<2>

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. It was named after an orc decapitated by a hobbit...

and whose head subsequently went rolling down a hole.

Geez, stupid entsomologists.

[Bennyboy]

23. They call it "golf".....

Because "Fuck" already meant something else.

[sarge43]

26. KG is close

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it's an obsolete Lallan (lowland Scot) word for a pig's grunt. The first known written use of the word for the game is in 1800.

[DarkTirade]

28. Those are some, dare I say it... cunning linguists?

:P

[yellowdogintexas]

31. Why does the Byron Nelson Classic always get rained out at least once

each year?

Because GOD is a WOMAN and she HATES GOLF

[Orrex]

32. Did anyone really believe in that bogus etymology?

Cutesy ha-ha acronyms like that didn't come into fashion into well into the 20th century. The same goes for that idiotic "Forbidden Use of Carnal Knowlege" nonsense, a piece of secret wisdom with which high schoolers like to impress each other.

:eyes: