Yes, folks....not to, uh, beat a dead horse (!!!) but orientate once again rears its ugly head - this time, in potentially a very literal fashion. This lovely equine specimen (whose stud fees - the money owners of mares pay to breed their horse to this strapping fellow- are thankfully more than the money I owe the IRS) deserves owners who would pick a proper, dignified name, fit for a champion.
But, no. Instead, this unfortunate fellow (ok, his job is pretty much to eat and breed, so maybe not so unfortunate) wound up with a name designed to induce cringes in the hearts of grammar Nazis everywhere: Orientate.
WHY???? There have been plenty of unusual racehorse names in the past, many of which could cause a sane person to shake their head (adorned with a Derby day hat, preferably) and ask, "what the hella?" This delightful article highlights the inconsistent application of an old Jockey Club rule barring obscene or vulgar names from its books. (How then, you wonder, did horses with names like Blow Me, Go Down, Hard Like a Rock, Bodacious Tatas, and On Your Knees make it, er, out of the gate? Or how about the deliciously naughty-to-say names like Hardawn and Cunning Stunt?) And yet, my friends at the Jockey Club, how can you allow such an utter profanity of all things grammatical and right by registering a stud named ..... ORIENTATE???
I will resist the urge to spew off a string of horsey puns, but let it suffice to say, if this racehorse was gifted with Mr. Ed's unique abilities and was asked to comment on his own name, I'm sure the chap would be indignant enough to ask, appropriately, "what the hay-la?"
1 comment:
I can only shake my head. That's clearly all there is left to do.
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