Chrysti The Wordsmith: Bats - 2

My word lovers this is Christie the wordsmith. Last time on this series we investigated bats in the belfry a phrase we reserve to describe someone considered eccentric or crazy. This quaint animal expression likens the human head to a belfry or a church's bell tower the towers resident bats that flutter and careen about their home are metaphors for the thoughts of an unstable unfocused mind. Bats in the belfry today will look at the well-worn phrase blind as a bat. This cliche derives from the long standing assumption that bats literally cannot see the creature's erratic nocturnal fluttering have doubtless contributed to this belief over the centuries. While no bat species is entirely sightless some rely on echolocation the emission of ultra high frequency sound pulses that bounce off an object and return as echoes with this strategy. Bats are able to locate and capture their insect prey in mid-flight. Others do in fact rely on vision and a sense of smell to navigate. Despite the modern

understanding of the bats sophisticated navigation techniques the expression blind as a bat persists where ever English is spoken. It was first captured in print in 15 88 by English author John Harvey making the simile blind as a bat. At least 400 years old. I'm Christie the wordsmith. The series is produced in the studios of KGO FM on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry. Zoot web dot com.