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Some years ago I read a discussion of how the term 'cad' entered the language. It had to do with a horse race, I think, and possibly a joke at a house party. The book was a biography of an intrepid Victorian woman explorer, along the lines of Gertrude Bell. I would love to find this again, so I can stop thinking about it at 2 a.m. Can anyone help?
My usual favorite source for this sort of thing, the Online Etymology Dictionary, says "1730, shortening of cadet; originally used of servants, then (1831) of town boys by students at British universities and public schools (though at Cambridge it meant 'snob'). Meaning 'person lacking in finer feelings' is from 1838."
I looked around for Gertrude Russell, but so far what I find are references to a British explorer named Gertrude Bell, 1868-1924, the "Queen of Iraq" and colleague of T E Lawrence. There's a description of her influence on Iraq at http://www.theava.com/04/0526-gertrude-bell.html.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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