“Where did the term ‘ratcatcher’ come from?” asks Carol Riggs, whipper-in to the Red Mountain Foxhounds in North Carolina. “I know there are many, many ideas about this, but I would love to know the real history of the term ratcatcher.”
When it comes to etymology, Steven Price, the newest member of our Panel of Experts, is the first person I would think to consult. For Steven, words are beguiling toys to play on, to savor, to manipulate. He is the author or editor of thirty-five books, including the Lyon’s Press Horseman’s Dictionary. Here’s what he had to say:
Author/Editor Steven PriceThe term “ratcatcher” came from the apparel worn by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century men whose profession was vermin control: a tweed cap and coat, a collarless shirt with a neckerchief, and breeches with gaiters (much like half-chaps) to prevent rodents from running up their legs inside their trousers. They used dogs, primarily terriers, to flush out and kill rats and other rodents .
That was also the apparel worn by grooms and agricultural workers, whose duties included the control of vermin in their grain bins. In any event, the tweed coats, shirts with ties or chokers, and brown boots that are appropriate during the cubhunting season are not a far cry from what these rat-catchers wore.
Posted February 12, 2011
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