Medieval Fun Fact Time! ✨
Have you ever heard someone say they were going “full tilt” towards something? Currently that phrase means “with maximum energy or force; at top speed”, but did you know that the term actually comes from jousting?!
In jousting the “tilt” is the “barrier between two opponents” and “tilting” is a “form of jousting where knights would pierce small metal rings as a show of skill.” So going “full tilt” is actually a reference to the speed at which knights would charge against each other atop their brave warhorses. In fact, in the early 1500s the word “tilt” (or “tylte”) meant “to topple.”
Anyone who has seen a hard-hitting joust knows why this makes sense even today! A properly delivered hit can “unhorse” a knight, or “tilt” them from the saddle! Many of our “modern” words and phrases actually come from jousting and the medieval era!
Stay tuned to our socials, newsletter and blog to capture all our cool etymological facts! Etymology is “the study of the origin and evolution of words,” isn’t history fun?!
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