"GOLF" = (you know)

[Jonathan Lighter]

Thought I'd check on how widespread this etymythoacronym is now that it's been a while since we definitively debunked it.

Well, my stars !  5,000 Googlits for "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden" !  And all of them apparently since 2002 ! (  At least the comments seem to be divided between believers and skeptics; the Internet honors *all* points of view.... )

No, I haven't read them all, but here's a stand-out favorite from a site purporting to teach Victorian Era history to young folks - and to all who reject so-called "facts" laid down by "historians" and "lexicographers" :


2004 _Headline History : Victorian Era_
[  http://www.headlinehistory.co.uk/online/North%20East/Victorian/Sport/story308.htm ] "Golf was an old game invented by the Scots who would hit a pebble around in the sand dunes....Middle-aged men, too old or unfit to play other sports, enjoyed playing golf as it was a more leisurely game. Ladies were banned from playing golf - the name actually stands for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden - and it was only in recent times that many golf clubs and courses began allowing women to play."

"Middle-aged men" - old and unfit like Tiger Woods - when will they ever learn ? Beats me.

And remember, "expert" itself derives from "EXceptionally Privileged Elitist Reactionary Teacher."



JL

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