A Courtland, Alabama, woman wonders about the phrase hairy at the heel. Along with hairy-heeled, hairy about the heels, and hairy about the fetlocks, this snobby term describes someone who is considered ill-bred. It derives from the fact that non-thoroughbred horses often have tufts of hair above their hooves. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Hairy at the Heel”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hey, this is Andrea Simpson from Cortland, Alabama.
Hi, Andrea. Welcome to the show.
Hello, Andrea.
I have a phrase that I have read my entire life.
I was a big fan of Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh
And lots of other Brit things written in the 20s.
And they were always saying of people that someone was hairy at the heel,
And it was not a compliment.
It meant that they were kind of a poser, that they were trying to pretend to be something they weren’t.
But it’s such a weird thing.
I mean, you know, Harry at his heel, what on earth could that even mean?
So my guess on that, my best guess, being a horsewoman, I love to ride.
Portland is tiny.
There are 500 people.
So if you don’t do something outside, you’re very bored.
And I love to ride.
And I finally thought that must mean like a horse that has a little bit of a draft horse in it, a cart horse.
You know, like the Clyde sales on the Budweiser ads, they have all those real hair around their heel.
And so a horse that you’re trying to pass off as a thoroughbred, a racehorse, they don’t have hair at their heel.
But if he has a little bit of hair down there, it means he has some draft in him.
And that was my best guess.
But I don’t know that that’s true.
That’s just what I guessed.
And so I was seeing if y’all could figure out if that’s true or not.
Well, that’s exactly it.
You nailed it.
Yes, you nailed it.
Oh, I did?
Yeah, hairy at the heel or variations of that are hairy in the fetlocks or hairy round the heels
Or just hairy heeled is sort of a snooty, upper-class way of saying that someone doesn’t have the correct breeding.
I mean, it’s sort of the same.
Yes, ill-bred.
Because exactly as you said, thoroughbred horses don’t have those hairy heels,
Which are regarded as undesirable in some circles because they collect dirt and moisture, I guess.
You could tell me better about that.
Well, that is true.
But let me tell you, a draft horse is a lovely horse as well, though I have to confess I love the failed racehorse.
And that’s one reason I’m so happy is my failed racehorse was such a good boy this morning.
I’m very pleased with him.
I’m all happy about it.
But a draft horse is a very lovely horse.
People should sparge them.
They have great temperaments, and they’re really sweet.
Andrea, thank you so much for your call.
This sounds lovely.
Oh, y’all, I’m so excited to get to talk to y’all, and y’all are so nice.
And thank you for looking up my little phrase and solving a 30-year question.
It’s our pleasure.
Call again sometime, all right?
Thank you very much.
All right, bye-bye.
All right, bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Thank you.
