Everyday lifeMyths & disputes

handicap

Hand in cap was a 17th-century wagering game where the stakes were held in a cap and an umpire set the odds. Horse racing borrowed it for weight that evens out a race, and racing and golf carried it to French, German, Russian and Japanese; only in the 20th century did it come to mean a disability.

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The story you may have heard

From disabled veterans begging 'cap in hand' after an English war. The word grew out of the betting game; the disability sense is the last to appear.

The road to English

From English to French

From English to German

From English to Dutch

From English to Italian

From English to Spanish

From English to Russian

From English to Japanese

1653English

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

handicap

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The road to English

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