“A smile is the curve that sets everything straight” Phyllis Diller
“MOB”: Today the word “mob” has us thinking of the Godfather movies and real life “mobsters” like Al Capone, but in the 1860’s New Zealanders referred to large groups of sheep as “mobs.” Lucky for sheep, we now refer to their groups as “flocks,” saving their reputation from association with Italian criminals and other animal groups such as a “murder of crows!”
“BLACKFACE”: Originally an innocent term to literally describe sheep whose faces and legs were black but whose bodies produced white wool (a breed known as “Suffolk”). Today it has a politically negative connotation of white people blackening their faces to mimic African skin color. As far as is known, sheep have no known political affiliation.
NEGRETTI: If you are not a gin drinker it may be easy to confuse the drink, Negroni, with NEGRETTI. But, beware, do not confuse unless you expect a glass full of wool! Negretti refers to a branded breed of Spanish Merino sheep renowned for its high quality and soft wool.
“Baa Baa Black Sheep:” To fund his military campaigns, Edward I imposed a despised 33% tax on wool. In response, the now innocent sounding nursery rhyme was popularized. In 1275 it had a much more political meaning:
“Baa Baa black sheep have you any wool? Yes,sir yes, sir three bags full. One for the Master (the King), one for the Dame (the Church) and one for the Farmer” with nothing left for the Shepard boy who (cries) “lives down the lane.”
“WEASEL:” if someone is called a “weasel,” it implies a crafty, sneaky person somehow connected to the behavior of a disreputable animal. But, when yarn was spun by hand it was wound on a “weasel,” which gave a popping sound when a given set yardage was achieved. An easy step to understanding the origin of a favorite children’s game of “Pop Goes the Weasel!”
“WETHER:” Weather, Whether and Wether are homophones (sound the same but with very different meanings). Weather , of course, describes local conditions of temperature, humidity etc and the other “whether” is used to imply or suggest alternatives. For male sheep (rams) the term “WETHER” has the more unpleasant meaning of castration. Rams are male sheep and castrated rams are “wethers” — once castrated, there are no alternatives, regardless of the weather conditions!
“BELLWETHERS:” The term “bellwether” indicates a first or early warning about direction or action. Appropriate because the term originally referred to the wethers (see above) with bells tied around their necks to lead the mob/flock of sheep to new grazing pastures.
