BOB NOGUEIRA wrote:
>
> -- [ From: Bob Nogueira * EMC.Ver #2.5.1 ] --
>
> As long as we are discussing the meaning of spanners ( and make no
> mistake about it, I would much rather read about spanners than cats)
> could some one explain "near side and off side " again. Maybe if I knew
> the origin of the terms I'd remember which is which.
> And why isn't it off side and on side or near side and far side?
>
> Bob Nogueira " Just a little bit off of the Far side"
"Off-side" and "near-side" are old equestrian terms, still in use today
by fox hunters and farriers. The terms refer to the side of the horse
one mounts from (i.e., the left, or near side) and the side one doesn't
(i.e., the off side, or right). Farriers refer to the off-side hind
hoof or the near-side fore, etc., etc. Like many things English, the
terms pre-date the invention of the automobile, but were common usage
when folks began to drive cars--waaay back, and they have stuck for us
who drive lbc's. Tom Britt
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