I just walked out in the snow without shoes or socks, and now my feet are cold, and I was thinking about that expression 'cold feet'. Usually when one talks about someone having cold feet, it's understood that that someone has lost courage. So I shall pause for a moment and contemplate the connection...nothing. The American Heritage College Dictionary calls it 'slang', and goes on to describe 'fearfulness or timidity preventing the completion of a course of action'. Why is the origin of the phrase not included?
'It was a dark stormy night in the late winter of 1864. America was at war with herself. A brave soldier was found by the side of the wagon lane, his feet rudely bandaged up in scraps of cloth, no boots were found near his exhausted body. He was carried by his mates to a nearby farmhouse, where they were offered hot stew and peppermint tea. Blood began to circulate through his recovering body, and when questioned as to why he hadn't ventured the previous night to the welcoming farmhouse, he explained that he couldn't have been sure that he would have had a friendly reception, and "besides", quothe he. "I had cold feet!"
Well, that's my version! Anybody else have any bright ideas?
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3 comments:
I don't believe in cold feet. If you are nervous about doing something, you probably shouldn't be doing it. Like getting married.
This soldier obviously wasn't wearing Soe's new silver pumps. They are totally hot and would keep any foot warm.
You need an etymology dictionary! The one I found online says that the term "cold feet" is American English, 1890s, but the presumed Italian original (avegh minga frecc i pee) is a Lombard proverb meaning "to have no money."
I read elsewhere a theory that the transition from the "no money" sense to the modern "timid" sense of "cold feet" may be found in an 1862 German novel in which a card player withdraws from a game claiming that he has "cold feet" (i.e. no money), when in fact he has merely lost his nerve. "To get cold feet," then eventually came to mean backing out of any risky situation.
www.etymonline.com
www.word-detective.com
Well, you are all partially correct. The soldier was actually a Prince who's father had just declared war on a neighboring country of savages. Their country had been ravaged on the borders and the savages were slowly making headway through the land, wreaking destruction and leaving a trail of suffering and loss behind them. When the time came for the Prince to go to fight with the rest of the solidiers, he became overwhelmed with fear. Not knowing who to turn to, and also fearful of proving the rumors of his lacking the qualities of a true leader to be true, he ran to his mother. His mother was a very wise woman, and knew the ancient arts of magic and alchemy. "All of your life you have shown yourself capable of success, and yet when face to face with the event, you balk at the challenge. Take these magic boots, put them on and you will have the courage to go to war." And she gave him a pair of silver boots. When the prince put them on, his fear vanished, and was replaced by a strong sense of duty and drive. He went to war alongside his brothers and sisters, and helped lead his country to great victory. When, a few years later, he was crowned King of the land, there was another attack on his country, and he was faced with the prospect of another war. In the times of Peace he had taken to going barefoot, and keeping his magic boots in a safe place. When he went to find his magic boots this time, however, they were missing. The prince was filled with dread. He ran to the council of his mother. "Mother! you must give me another pair of boots! Now we are faced with another battle and I cannot do it without them! Mother, I am so very afraid! I have COLD FEET!" And his mother said to him, "Son, I cannot give you another pair of magic boots, because I've never given you a pair of magic boots." And then the truth came to the King and he realised that the courage had been within him all along. And he went into battle again, this time with more fervour than before, because he believed in himself.
And that's where the term "cold feet" comes from.
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