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OP On perusing some literature for hamstring pull treatment (ouch!)I encountered this:
>The origin of the word "hamstring" comes from the Old English "hamm," meaning thigh. "String" refers to the characteristic appearance and feel of the tendons just above the back of the knee.<
So how and when did ham evolve to come to mean exlusively pork, when it originally applied to any kind of thigh? And, so, in Old English did they say "cow hamm", pig hamm", lamb hamm," etc. Did the randy youth of the those times say, "methinks the lady has nice hamms!"?
>The power advantages of strong hamstrings have been known for a long time. In times past, a sword wielding knight
would disable an opponent by a slice across the back of the thigh. Cruel masters were known to have severed the hamstrings of domestic slaves or prisoners in order to make escape less likely. The origin of the term "hamstrung", meaning to have been crippled or held back, is derived from these practices.<
Has anyone ever heard or used the term "hamstrung"? I seem to recall an old, brief mention of this here as a Brit-ism?
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted hamm, hamstring, hamstrung WhitmanO'Neill 02/09/04 03:46 AM Re: hamm, hamstring, hamstrung TEd Remington 02/09/04 12:41 PM Re: hamm, hamstring, hamstrung dxb 02/09/04 01:18 PM Re: Shakespear and Bacon maverick 02/09/04 03:58 PM the 19- and 1640s AnnaStrophic 02/09/04 04:26 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s dxb 02/09/04 04:49 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s belMarduk 02/09/04 05:11 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s Faldage 02/09/04 05:32 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s belMarduk 02/09/04 05:54 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s Faldage 02/09/04 06:09 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s Buffalo Shrdlu 02/09/04 06:25 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s sjmaxq 02/09/04 06:40 PM Re: the 19- and 1640s Faldage 02/09/04 06:53 PM Re: blank space... Buffalo Shrdlu 02/09/04 07:02 PM Re: Shakespear and Bacon Capfka 02/09/04 07:28 PM Re: hamm, hamstring, hamstrung jheem 02/09/04 02:51 PM Re: addendum jheem 02/09/04 03:44 PM Re: hamm, hamstring, hamstrung Flatlander 02/09/04 07:29 PM
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