Q: Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use “mayday” as their call for help?
A: This comes from the French word “m'aidez,” meaning “help me” – and is pronounced “mayday.”
Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called “love?”
A: In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called
“l'oeuf,”' which is French for “egg.” When tennis was introduced in the U.S., Americans pronounced it “love.”
Q: In golf, where did the term “Caddie” come from?
A. When Mary, later Queen of Scots, went to France as a young girl (for education & survival), Louis, King of France,
learned that she loved the Scot game golf. So he had the first golf course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To
make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced “ca-day” and the Scots changed it into “caddie.”
Source: "Origins of Customs, Terms, and Expressions", AFICS Bulletin, Vol. 41, No. 4 (October 2010), p. 27. AFICS is the Association of Former International Civil Servants.
A: This comes from the French word “m'aidez,” meaning “help me” – and is pronounced “mayday.”
Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called “love?”
A: In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called
“l'oeuf,”' which is French for “egg.” When tennis was introduced in the U.S., Americans pronounced it “love.”
Q: In golf, where did the term “Caddie” come from?
A. When Mary, later Queen of Scots, went to France as a young girl (for education & survival), Louis, King of France,
learned that she loved the Scot game golf. So he had the first golf course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To
make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced “ca-day” and the Scots changed it into “caddie.”
Source: "Origins of Customs, Terms, and Expressions", AFICS Bulletin, Vol. 41, No. 4 (October 2010), p. 27. AFICS is the Association of Former International Civil Servants.
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