M
missyL
Guest
i've always wondered why people refer to horses as nags, does anyone know the reason behind this?
This is from the Oxford English Dictionary:
nag, n, 1.
[Origin uncertain. Perh. (as suggested by Middle Eng. Dict. s.v.) < NEIGH v., although this presents phonological difficulties. Cf. early modern Dutch negge a small horse (1567 in Junius Nomenclator, where nagge is given as the English equivalent).]
I. Simple uses.
1. A small riding-horse or pony; (colloq.) a horse, now esp. an old or feeble one. Occas. also fig.
{alpha} 1336-7 in C. M. Woolgar Househ. Accts. Medieval Eng. (1992) I. 182 Item in i ferro anteriore pro le nagg et i remocione pro morel ii d. 1440 Promp. Parv. (Harl. 221) 350 Nagge, or lytylle beest, bestula, equillus.
[snip - I've cut out lots of citations here for fear of boring you]
1841 DICKENS Barnaby Rudge i. 235 His nag gone lame in riding out here. 1879 R. BROWNING Martin Relph 130 Lend to a King's friend here your nag! 1910 J. HART Vigilante Girl 367 We come mighty near forgettin' Strang's nag. 1998 D. K. CAMERON Eng. Fair ii. 19 There were wily old copers who had the knack of making even the most miserable nag..look like a champion{em}until the deal was done.
"Nag" usualy means an old or broken down horse. I think lots of people these days use the term in a derogatory way "I don't like that horse, its a bit of a nag" or they use it as a term of endearment. Some owners call their very nice horses "nag" or "naglet". It is ok to call your own horse a nag but not someone elses no matter how rough it might be.
It is ok to call your own horse a nag but not someone elses no matter how rough it might be.
Oops.....
It is ok to call your own horse a nag but not someone elses no matter how rough it might be.
Truer words have never been spoken
Thruthfully though, I think of a nag as a horse who has no spirit left and is really run down. It's not their fault by any means, but that's how the word nag is used here-in a derogatory sense.
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