Chrysti The Wordsmith: Sheep Terms - 3

Readings were lovers. On recent wordsmith additions we examine words and expressions inspired by the domestic sheep whose wool milk and meat have been important to human societies for thousands of years. The sheep's pelt is featured in two very common English language expressions to pull the wool over someone's eyes and to fleece someone. When a person feels tricked hoodwinked or deceived she might remark that someone has pulled the wool over her eyes. This expression refers to the massive woollen wigs worn by most Europeans during the 17th and 18th centuries. A street thief jostling a wig so it obstructed a pedestrian vision could easily seize his victim's purse and disappear undetected because he had literally pulled the wool over someone's eyes. Now if you've been fleeced you've been stripped of your cash or goods in some fraudulent enterprise. This sense of the word was inspired by the sheep which having had its fleece removed and shearing has been essentially stripped of its coat

leaving it especially vulnerable to predators in the elements. When humans are fleeced they're metaphorically sheared of the protection of their assets. Next time I'm Christie the wordsmith will examine the sheep related verbs to RAM and to ramble. In the meantime be sure to visit my website wordsmith radio dot org. Kristi 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.