Gets My Goat.
Makes you mad. Elicits an emotional rather than logical response. Annoys severely.
This expression, while known to most Americans and used since the early 1900s, does not have its beginnings documented. According to H.L. Mencken in American Language (1945), the saying probably originated around horse racing tracks. He was told that there was a practice among some horse trainers of quieting a particularly high-strung horse by putting a goat in its stall. Opponents would “Get One’s Goat” by taking it from the stall, causing the horse to become unsettled and lose the race.
Makes you mad. Elicits an emotional rather than logical response. Annoys severely.
This expression, while known to most Americans and used since the early 1900s, does not have its beginnings documented. According to H.L. Mencken in American Language (1945), the saying probably originated around horse racing tracks. He was told that there was a practice among some horse trainers of quieting a particularly high-strung horse by putting a goat in its stall. Opponents would “Get One’s Goat” by taking it from the stall, causing the horse to become unsettled and lose the race.
Join the International Goatkeepers Society
The International Goatkeepers Society is a fun and effective self-control tool for children and adults. Available as individual keepsake pewter gifts and herd sets of 10 for “kids.”
