I’m learning how to handle birds in the Raptor Internship at Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation. A lot of the terms used in handling birds of prey come from falconry. Did you know that some common English-language idioms actually originate in falconry? I took the following chart from Wikipedia.
| Expression | Meaning in falconry | Derived meaning |
|---|---|---|
| in a bate | bating: trying to fly off when tethered | in a panic |
| fed up | of a hawk, with its crop full and so not wanting to hunt | no longer interested in something |
| haggard | of a hawk, caught from the wild when adult | looking exhausted and unwell, in poor condition; wild or untamed |
| under his/her thumb | of the hawk’s leash when secured to the fist | tightly under control |
| wrapped round his/her little finger | of the hawk’s leash when secured to the fist | tightly under control |
I’d never heard the phrase in a bate before, but I do find the other connections fascinating. I especially would never have guessed fed up, under my thumb and wrapped around her little finger came from falconry, but really, they make perfect sense!
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