Wednesday's Random Slang-o-rama: Cold feet

In deference to Sunday's Valentine's Day and the low temperatures sweeping the interior of the U.S., we're going to put a little slang-o-rama heat on the term cold feet.

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Merriam-Webster Online defines cold feet as "apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action." So, how did frosty toes end up meaning to lose one's nerve?

The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer has no indication of the origin, only noting that in 17th century Italy, it meant to be "short of money." In an NPR interview which gladdens my heart and warms my soul/sole, Slate writer Daniel Engber delves into the history of the term. He says that the Oxford English Dictionary credits earliest usage to the writer Stephen Crane. in his 1896 "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets." By the early 1900s, the phrase was being used on college campuses.

But the phrase in this context pops up even earlier, in a popular 1862 German novel by Fritz Reuter. Engber explains, "In one case, the person losing his nerve, or getting cold feet, is a shoemaker. So English-speakers may have translated the German idiom word for word." You can read the original Slate article right here, in which Engber also noted a connection to gambling in an 1870 English translation of that German novel.

He also adds that Ben Johnson uses a similar expression in the 1605 play Volpone, in which Johnson refers to a Lombard proverb that translates to "cold on my feet," meaning to have no money. Engber adds, "At least in a gambling context, having no money could lead a card player to get cold feet and leave the game."

Brrr. After writing this post, I need to put on some warm socks! 

Image by photowell from Pixabay