LORD SANDWICH AND CAPTAIN BOYCOTT

About 300 words in the English language come from the names of people. ‘Sandwich’ is one such word. You may know its meaning. A sandwich is made of two slices of buttered bread, with some meant, or egg, or vegetable put in between. You have perhaps eaten sandwiches.

                The word ‘sandwich’ comes from the name of an English nobleman, Lord Sandwich, who lived from 1718 to 1792. He loved to play cards. Often he would spend many hours playing cards. Sometimes, he played day and night, for twenty four hours! At such times, he would not go home to eat. Someone would bring him meat and bread. But Lord sandwich did not wish to stop the game even to eat. So, he would put the meat between two pieces of bread. Holding this, and eating it, he would go on playing.

                At first, Lord Sandwich was the only one who ate bread in this way. So, his friends began to call this manner of eating bread ‘sandwich’ for fun. Soon other people began to do the same thing with meat and bread. And they called this new way of eating bread with meat in between, ‘sandwich’. That was how the word ‘sandwich’ came to be used in English.

                Do you know what Gandhiji meant when he asked Indians to ‘boycott’ British good. When you boycott something, you refuse to buy or use it. When you boycott someone, you refuse to have anything to do with that person.

                The word ‘boycott’ was first used in Ireland. It comes from the name of an Irish landlord, Captain Charles C. Boycott. Captain Boycott’s tenants demanded that he should take lower rents from them. When boycott refused, his tenants decided to teach him a lesson.

                They decided not to sepak to him at all. No one would work for him. They would not allow the postman to deliver his letter to him. Captain Boycott now found himself in a difficult situation. When the corn in the field was ready for harvesting, he had to get workers from another part ofhte country to do the work. The government had to send 900 soldiers to protect these workers from the tenants. Captain Boycott was in trouble.

                So then, we have the word ‘boycott’. To boycott someone is to treat him as poor Captain Boycott was treated.

***

GATHERED FROM MY OLD TEXT BOOK