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Dumbbells

Posted by James Briggs on October 18, 2004

In Reply to: Dumbbells posted by Bookworm on October 18, 2004

: I was working out with free weights at the gym the other day and wondered when and why they came to be called dumbbells. It did occur to me that it could have something to do with the (steroetypically) low intellectual capacities of those who use them. That is, dumbbells using dumbbells...is there anything in that? Of course, if this theory turns out to be true, I really should consider changing my name.

My etymology book indicates that this was historically apparatus for swinging like that fir swinging a church bell, but without the bell. By extension this came to also mean the 'dumb bells' that people exercise with.
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