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Get your goat

Posted by ESC on April 30, 2003

In Reply to: Get your goat posted by ESC on April 30, 2003

: We were discussing the expression "get your goat" a while back. One source (see below) doubted whether goats were ever used as companions for race horses.

: www.word-detective.com/ back-j2.html#goat "Unfortunately, the first occurrence of the phrase in print, according to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, A-G, was in 1908. Since goats are no longer (if they ever were) housed with race horses, the practice must have arisen near the beginning of the 20th century -- and been abandoned shortly thereafter -- for that theory to be true."

: I beg to differ. Goats are used as companions. And here's proof (a picture's worth a thousand words) from the April 30, 2003 issue of The Courier Journal, Louisville, Ky. Sports section

: I don't know how to paste in an image so here's the link. www.courier-journal.com/ "Because she's a bit eccentric, Toussand requires an entourage - groom Liz LaBonty and goat/buddy Liz - when she heads to her paddock."

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