Dispelling Some Myths: Falconry and some common phrases

Keep it under your hat

It is time for a confession. Tastes Of History was supporting a history event recently during which the author was guilty of entertaining one visitor with the origin of the phrase “to keep it under your hat”. The mistake was to repeat the commonly told tale concerning mediæval English longbowmen keeping a spare bowstring under their hat where it would be protected from inclement weather. At first sight this explanation makes some sense. Bowstrings of the period were handcrafted from locally sourced natural fibres such as hemp, flax (linen), horsehair, sinew, and sometimes rawhide. These materials were chosen for their strength, flexibility, and durability in both hunting and warfare, but sinew and rawhide strings can be seriously affected by water; a particular problem in the rainy climes of northwest Europe. So, for archers to keep a spare bowstring in a dry place like under their hats seems a sensible precaution. There are several problems with this explanation which Tastes Of History should have checked.

Firstly, why under a hat? In excessive wet weather even woollen hats and hoods retaining natural wool’s water-proof lanolin will eventually become waterlogged. Likewise, even headwear made of leather oiled to resist water will in time succumb. So, keeping a spare bowstring under a hat may not be the best option especially where an archer could stow one in a waterproof belt pouch or bag. Most significantly, however, there is no contemporary evidence of the practice. Even more damning is that the phrase does not appear in English until the 19th-century long after the mediæval period. Crucially, to “keep it under your hat” has nothing to do with staying dry but rather keeping a secret; “under your hat” simply meant “in your head”. According to the website www.phrasefinder.org, the oldest citation appears in the novel “The History of Pendennis” by William Makepeace Thackeray (1848):

“Thus, oh friendly readers, we see how every man in the world has his own private griefs and business…You and your wife have pressed the same pillow for forty years and fancy yourselves united. Psha, does she cry out when you have the gout, or do you lie awake when she has the toothache?…Ah, sir - a distinct universe walks about under your hat and under mine.”

In the 20th-century the expression was extended from “under your hat” to the more familiar “keep it under your hat”. At this point the phrase simply meant “keep it in your head”, that is, “think it, but do not say it”. Again, thanks to Gary Martin and his Phrase Finder website which cites an early example in P. G. Wodehouse’s Inimitable Jeeves, 1923:

“It made such a hit with her when she found that I loved her for herself alone, despite her humble station, that she kept it under her hat. She meant to spring it on me later.”

The language of falconry

Having clarified our understanding, and dispelled the archery myth, the author was reminded of several other phrases and sayings with widely accepted historical roots. Tastes Of History has had a longstanding friendship with Emma and Mike Raphael of Raphael Historic Falconry from whom we have learnt much about the ancient art of falconry. In doing so we have been introduced to several idioms that pepper English which are originally sourced, or so it is claimed, from the language of falconry. Indeed, the website of Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre in New Zealand has a section titled “The language of falconry” that highlights the extensive vocabulary used to describe the practice of falconry that developed through its long and rich history around the world. Many of these words and phrases have become embedded in everyday use without many of us realising the original meaning. With that in mind, Tastes Of History has searched for some of the most common phrases attributed to falconry and sought to establish their etymological truth. While in no particular order, the first example may well have come from the language of falconry but today its meaning has significantly changed.

Fed up The term “fed up” comes from the falconry term for when a trained hawk has eaten its fill. When a bird is “fed up”, meaning fully satisfied, it has no incentive to fly and hunt for the falconer. From this technical expression formed an early conceptual basis for the phrase’s later metaphorical leap from physical fullness to emotional saturation. Interestingly, all known contextual evidence and early examples point to Britain as the origin of “fed up.” In 18th-century British newspapers and regional periodicals the phrase was used to describe people or livestock that were properly fed, fattened, or prepared for sale. By the turn of the 20th-century however, the phrase had gained currency in military slang, with soldiers using “fed up” to convey irritation, boredom, and emotional exhaustion. A documented example from 20 October 1900 records a soldier remarking, “I’m about fed up with it…” revealing the contemporary sense, that is annoyance brought on by overexposure, had become fully established. Its rapid spread into newspapers and general conversation soon made it a common, informal expression. So, today, to be “fed up” means one is no longer interested in doing something.

Boozer In a manner to being “fed up”, a bird that drinks too much will not hunt and is said to be a “boozer”. The word “booze” originates from the 14th-century Middle English “bouse” meaning an intoxicating drink or, as with the Middle Dutch verb “buse”, the act of drink excessively. The word’s modern spelling with a “z” was established by the 17th-century. It is likely that rather than falconers introducing the term they simply adopted it from common mediæval parlance. Whether boozer’s origin is in the language of falconry, the same word has been extended to describe the equivalent tendency in humans. So, a “boozer” in English is someone who drinks a lot, and the place where they do that - typically a public house or pub - is nicknamed the “boozer”.

Hoodwinked Dating to AD 1560, the term “hoodwink” meant “to blindfold or blind by covering the eyes”. In falconry, a hood is a small leather cap placed over a raptor’s head, especially its eyes, to calm it and make it manageable. Birds of prey have extremely sharp vision - about ten times better than humans - so without a hood, they can spot targets invisible to the falconer and become distracted or agitated. So, when a falconer is said to “hoodwink” a bird, they place a hood over its eyes to block out unwanted sights, forcing the bird to focus on the intended target. There is a problem, however. Circa 1600 the term was being used in the figurative sense of “blind the mind, mislead, deceive by disguise”. In the centuries that followed “hoodwink” has meant somebody being fooled or tricked into doing something. The connection with falconry would appear to be folk etymology [1].

Under the thumb To be “under the thumb” means to be under someone’s complete control. It is said to derive from falconers holding the leash, or jesses [2], of the hawk under their thumb to maintain control of the bird in hand. The problem is that the first recorded use of the phrase in print dates to the early 18th-century in English politician Arthur Maynwaring’s eponymous work “The Life and Posthumous Works of Arthur Maynwaring” (1715):

“The French King having them under his Thumb, compell’d them to go at his Pace.”

In this sense the phrase alludes “to a protagonist so powerful and a victim so insignificant that even the former’s thumb was strong enough to control them. None of the early references relates to falconry, or to any other specific origin” (Phrase Finder). Today the term “under the thumb” is generally used in a derogatory manner to describe one partner’s overbearing control over another’s actions.

Wrapped around someone’s little finger Related to “under the thumb” the language of falconry claims “wrapped around someone’s little finger” as its own because wrapping the jesses around this finger adds extra security when the bird is on the hand. Much as before, however, the origin of the phrase is believed to date to the 17th- or 18th-century, which is quite late in falconry terms. Moreover, the phrase’s gist is rooted in the imagery of wrapping a ring or string around a finger. Historically, the finger was a symbol of engagement or commitment, as in marriage, but in this context, it evolved into a metaphor for control and influence. The idea is that just as a ring or string fits snugly around a finger, a person can become so captivated or controlled that they are essentially “wrapped” around someone else’s finger.

Bated breath As mentioned, in falconry birds are typically held by jesses while on the hand or tethered to a perch or block. A bird attempting to fly from the fist or perch will often beat their wings, while prevented from leaving by said jess or tether. In such instances, the flapping may be because the bird was startled, or is an indicator they are upset, fearful or impatient to be flying. Falconers use the word bate, from the Old French batre (to beat), to describe the bird’s behaviour. Eventually this meaning evolved to that of “to hold back or restrain”. In the phrase “bated breath” however, “bated” is simply a shortened form of “abated” meaning “to bring down, lower or depress”. The gist of “bated breath”, therefore, makes perfect sense when describing subdued or reduced breathing caused by suspense or emotion; essentially “holding your breath” while awaiting an outcome. As so often is the case, the earliest known citation of the phrase appears in William Shakespeare’s work, specifically “The Merchant of Venice” (1596):

What should I say to you? Should I not say

’Hath a dog money? is it possible

A cur can lend three thousand ducats?’ Or

Shall I bend low and in a bondman’s key,

With bated breath and whispering humbleness, Say this;

‘Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last;

You spurn’d me such a day; another time

You call’d me dog; and for these courtesies

I’ll lend you thus much moneys’?

There are, therefore, two versions of the word “bate” even though both seemingly originate circa AD 1300. In falconry, bating describes a bird beating its wings impatiently or trying to fly from the perch. This sense enters English as mentioned via Old French batre meaning “to hit, beat or strike”, itself ultimately deriving from Latin batuere “to beat, knock”. The second variant is now found only in the phrase bated breath, as introduced by the inimitable Bard of Avon, and would appear unconnected to falconry.

At the end of one’s tether The term “at the end of one’s [or ‘my’] tether” reputedly also comes from the bating action of a falcon, particularly a young, untrained one. A bird bating (see above) from their perch is restrained by their leash such that being “at the end of one’s tether” has become synonymous with being extremely frustrated. While clearly applicable in the above case, the phrase itself is not unique to falconry as from the 1600s it described any animal or livestock that can move no further than the end of a rope or tether allows. Interestingly, the word “tether” is not found in Old English but its meaning of “a rope for fastening an animal to a fixed point” has been in use from the late 14th-century onward. Today the phrase “at the end of one’s tether” is used more figuratively to mean someone has reached a point of complete exhaustion, frustration or lack of patience. A person at this juncture may have been pushed to the very end of their patience and might feel overwhelmed such that they just cannot cope with a given situation.

Cadge a lift A “cadge” was the name falconers gave the portable perch on which birds were carried to the hunting grounds. Frame carrying was said to be a job for elderly falconers, who reputedly came to be called “old cadgers” that later became an affectionate term for an elderly person - an “old codger”. Linked to the carriage of falcons is a second derived phrase “to cadge a lift” with the sense of someone or something getting a free ride. According to Phrase Finder however, the theory is almost certainly wrong as the phrase is unknown until the 19th-century some while after falconry had ceased to be a common practice. Moreover, the “beg” or “borrow” sense of cadge was in use as a general term for “obtaining without payment” and only later became used in “to cadge a lift”. As for “old codger”, it is the begging sense of cadge rather than the carriage of falcons meaning that is more likely to be linked to “cadger” and later “codger”.

Haggard In the 1560s the word “haggard” meant “wild, unruly” and was originally in reference to hawks. It is said to derive from the Old French term faulcon hagard meaning “wild falcon”, or more literally “falcon of the woods”. In falconry, therefore, a “haggard” was a bird captured in the wild most often at the end of its migration. At this time the bird would appear thin and tired from its arduous journey. Over time “haggard” evolved to describe someone who looks exhausted and unkempt. Today it is also associated with the word “hag” denoting a dishevelled old woman or from Old English, a witch, sorceress or enchantress.

Rouse The word “rouse” probably stems from mid-15th-century Anglo-French or Old French reuser or ruser. In English it was originally a technical term in falconry meaning “to shake the feathers of the body”. Yet, like many mediæval hawking and hunting terms, it is of obscure origin and probably not from the language of falconry.

Pounce In falconry, the heel claw of a bird of prey is a talon, while the others are “pounces”, so called for being the “claws that punch” holes in things. The Middle English pownse (late 15th-century) probably comes from the Old French word ponchon for a “lance, javelin; spine, quill”.

Lure Originally a “lure” (from Anglo-French lure) was a bunch of feathers, arranged to resemble a bird, on a long cord, from which the hawk was fed during its training. Falconers also cast lures or decoys to attract a hawk’s attention thereby recalling the bird. Indeed, the Old French word loirre meant a “device used to recall hawks”. In the early 14th-century, however, lure gained the familiar figurative meaning of “something which allures or entices, an attraction”.

Turn tail Dated to the 1580s, “to turn tail” seems to have a genuine origin in the language of falconry quite simply meaning “to take flight” or “wheel about”.

Attribution?

While only a selection of common phrases has been explored, it should be obvious now that hunting with birds of prey may not be the origin of several of those popularly attributed to this ancient art. That said, “fed up”, “haggard”, “lure”, “pounce”, and “turn tail” do appear to originate in the language of falconry. The same can be said of “bating”, but the phrase “bated breath” has a different root and its link to falconry is unlikely. The common parlance of 14th-century England may have given us “at the end of one’s tether” which may have passed into the language of falconers but there is no suggestion that the latter was its source. Likewise, “boozer” may also have been a term drawn from common speech, with “hoodwink” following a similar path into English. The most familiar of the selected phrases, namely “under the thumb”, “wrapped around someone’s little finger”, and “to cadge a lift”, all have antecedents elsewhere. However, it is easy to see how the practices in falconry, for instance the use of jesses to control a bird, could lead to such mistaken attributions. Bon appétit!

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References:

www.inspirepearls.com, (2026), “What Does It Mean When Someone Says Wrapped Around Your Finger”, available online (accessed 25 August 2026).

www.etymonline.com, Online Etymology Dictionary, available online (accessed 20 August 2026).

Martin, G., (2026), “Keep it under your hat”, Phrase Finder (www.phrases.org.uk), available online (accessed 19 August 2026).

Wingspans National Bird of Prey Centre, (2026), “The Language of Falconry” (www.wingspan.co.nz), available online (accessed 18 August 2026).

Endnotes:

1. Folk etymology refers to the alteration of a word’s form or meaning when speakers reinterpret an unfamiliar term as if it were composed of more familiar elements. ▲

2. A jess is a thin strap, traditionally made of leather, that is used in falconry to tether a trained hawk, falcon, or owl. Jesses allow a falconer to keep control of a bird while it is on the glove or in training, and they allow a bird to be secured on a perch outside its aviary. ▲