Horsing Around

  

Thinking of going out on the bridle path? Better make sure you know the difference between “bridle” and “bridal,” or you might find you’re saddling yourself with a husband instead of finding someone to groom and tack up your horse. . . .

Ms. Picky is in horse country this week, enjoying all the special language of equestrians, and noticing an error that one sometimes sees, surprisingly, even here: the misuse of “bridal path” for “bridle path.” Ms. Picky will use that error for a jumping-off place for this week’s post.

Bridle, Bridal

A “bridle path” refers not to a walking path for brides, but to a trail for riding a horse, and so it is spelled with an le at the end, not an al. A bridle is the configuration of leather straps that fit over a horse’s head, hold the bit in his mouth, and are attached to the rein, all of which, together, are used to direct the horse.

Bridal, of course, means something related to a bride or a wedding.

Rein, Reign

The rein (the noun, pronounced rayne, like the precipitation) is the pair of leather straps that attach to the headpiece of a horse’s bridle. In the same equestrian context, rein is also used as a verb, meaning to use the rein to hold the horse back, or to direct him.

Rein is also used metaphorically to describe human behaviors. (And, of course, this rein has nothing to do with the reign that is the rulership of a king or queen, which is pronounced the same way as rein and rain.)

Examples:

He liked to ride with a loose rein.

She kept her husband on a tight rein.

Her investment losses forced her to rein in her spending.

The American Revolution occurred during the reign of George III.

  

Brand, Branding

The words brand and branding were not born as a marketing identity concept and were not originally related to a corporate logo. A brand, originally, was the “logo” that was burned into horses’ and cows’ flanks to identify their ownership. Yes, that branding—from the cowboy movies. Next time you see a logo as part of a corporate brand, stop for a minute to consider its origin: a branding iron.

Other Equestrian Derivations

A hack horse (a shortening of “hackney”) is one used for transportation rather than for sport. Hacking is riding a horse out on the trail, rather than putting him through his paces in the ring. A hacking jacket is a style of jacket that was originally worn for horseback riding. The word hack is also borrowed for a metaphor: A hack writer is a writer for hire, one who can produce copy to order. Like a good hack horse, a good hack writer is one who will do as he’s told and not be so troublesome as to have independent ideas and go off in a different direction from the one he’s told to go in.

A stud is the term used for a breeding stallion. (Ms. Picky was once invited to watch a stallion perform his job as a stud. Bagels and coffee were served.) When the term stud is used metaphorically, for a certain type of man, the reference is still to what the male can “contribute” to the female. (But bagels and coffee most likely will not be served when that kind of stud performs.)

Finally, there is the word jodhpurs (pronounced JOD-poors), which is often misspelled as jodphurs (and therefore mispronounced as JOD-fers),  which are a particular type of riding breeches that were so named because they were a style favored by the Maharajah of Jodhpur, in the 1860s, who wore them when he played polo.

____________________________

Bulletin Board

To L.D.: In the construction you asked about, when you are trying to decide between using I and using me, there’s a trick that can help. Here’s your sentence:

“Give it to my friend and [I or me].”

Forget, for a moment, the “my friend” part. Would you then say, “Give it to I” or “Give it to me”? The solution suddenly becomes clear: You would, of course, say, “Give it to me.” Well, then, adding “my friend,” doesn’t change anything, and so you would correctly say, “Give it to my friend and me.” When in doubt, remove the “and,” and you will find it easier to choose the right form.

This blog is read in in Canada, China, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Russia, Slovenia, the U.K., the U.S., and Vietnam, but not in Wellington, Florida.