Pisces 9: A jockey

T h e w o r d j ock ey e n t e r e d E n g l i s h i n t h e 1 5 2 0 s w i t h t h e m e a n i n g o f b o y , f e l low a n d w a s o r i g i n a l l y a d i m i n u t i v e o f t h e S c ot t i s h p r o p e r n a m e Jo ck , i t s e l f a v a r i a n t o f t h e n a me J a ck .
1

B y t h e m i d 17 t h c e n t u r y i t c a m e t o

m e a n a p e r s o n w h o r i d e s h o r s e s i n ra ce s a n d t h a t se n se i s li k e l y t h e o n e i n t e n d e d h e r e . T h e n a m e J a c k h a s s e v e r a l d e f i n i t i o n s, s o m e a s a c o m m on n o un a n d s o m e p r o p e r n o u n . A s a c o m m o n n o u n t he w o r d m e a n s o n e w h o d o e s o d d o r h e a v y j o b s ; a l a b o r e r , on e w h o w o r k s i n a sp e ci f i e d m a n u a l t r a d e . Th e l a t t e r o f t h e s e t w o d e f i n i t i o n s i s o f t e n u se d i n c o mp o u n d f o r m , e . g. l u m b e rj a c k . A s a c o m m o n n o u n i t m a y a ls o t he m a le o f c e r t a i n a n i ma ls , p a r t i c u la r l y t h e a ss , e . g. ja c ka ss , a n d t o t he m a le a n d f e m a l e j a c k r a b b i t . A s a p r op e r n o u n i t i s a n i c k n a m e f o r J o h n , a s a i lo r , o r i n f o r ma l l y a r e f e r e n c e t o a m a n o r f e l l o w. TH EMES : J ock eys a r e , b y n e ce s s i t y , me n o f s li g h t b ui l d a n d S TAT URE . T h e y r i d e h o r s e s t h a t w e i g h o v e r 1 0 00 p o u n d s b ut t h e w e i g h t o f t he i r b o d y p l u s g e a r m us t b e l e s s t h a n 1 2 6 p o u n d s i n T r i p l e Cr o w n e v e n t s . I n o r d e r t o m a i n t a i n t h e i r l o w w e i g h t , ma n y j o c k e y s e x h i b i t e a t i n g b e h a v i o r n o t u n li k e t he b u l e m i c s d e s c r i b e d i n t h e p r e v i o us s y m b ol : Imagine downing a juicy cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake -- then going to the bathroom a few minutes later, sticking a finger down your throat and vomiting. No, we're not talking about teenage girls with bulimia, or models struggling for the high-fashion gaunt look. These are grown men trying to keep their jobs as jockeys, those diminutive athletes in colorful silks sent out to ride 1,200-pound racehorses worth millions of dollars.

1 http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=jockey Starling Hunter 2011 1

Jockeys can weigh a luxurious 126 pounds for the Derby, as much weight as many of these horses will haul around a track. When it comes to everyday racing, however, weight assignments can be 110 pounds and lower, quite light in today's bigger and stronger world even for a man of short stature. The never-ending weight watch has led jockeys to resort to extraordinary and often dangerous means in an attempt to shed pounds quickly and keep them off. In addition to vomiting, also known as "flipping" and "heaving," jockeys spend hours in a hot box sweating off pounds, jogging in rubber suits or popping diet pills. These unhealthy practices can lead to major medical woes such as esophagitis, osteoporosis, heart problems, dental issues, electrolyte disturbances, drug addiction -- and even death.2 W h a t s m o r e i n t e r e s t i n g i s t h a t t he wo r d s j o c k , j ock ey , Ja c k , a n d J o h n a r e a l l u se d t o d e sc r i b e b o y s o r m e n o r f e l l o w s i n g e n e ra l . A s n o t e d i n o t h e r s y m b o l s 3, t he w o r d m a n d e s c e n d s f r o m t h e I n d o - E u r o p e a n r o o t ma n-1 a n d i n c l u d e s a m o n g p a r o n y m s t h e w o r d m a n i kin a p e r s o n w h o i s v e r y s m a l l b u t w h o i s n ot o t he r w i s e de f o r m e d o r a b n o r m a l ; a m a n s h o r t in stature.4

2 http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=h orse&id=3367868 3 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 51 4 http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/manikin Starling Hunter 2011 2