Quote:
Originally Posted by GnyaTek
I was pretty certain that Ivas was correct with his definition and so looked it up to be certain.
However, it appears that there the original word was misspelled? Bellwether, perhaps?
Ivas' definition appears to be adequate for "bellwether", by showing that it was an indicator of a trend ("one is on track"). Interestingly, "bellwether" also means "a male sheep, usually wearing a bell, that lleads the flock". Also, "a leader, esp of a sheeplike crowd". In other words, a trend setter.
If the original word was intended to be "bellwether", I'd say that Ivas has it correct. If the word actually is "bellweather", I have no idea.
|
Thank you for the assistance. I read the word spelled with the 'a' and that gave me pause. I knew the word wether meant a castrated ram since when I was a boy I had to castrate male sheep on the farm. Further we put bells around the neck of such a wether because the rest of the flock always follow their wether (leader) and if you could hear the bell you'd know the location of the flick in poor visibility conditions. That's what led me to think about warnings. I also knew the figurative use of the word as an indicating marker. Voilą my confusion. Again, I appreciate your clarification, I would've gone about in puzzled frustration were it not for your help.
New word: "Billiards"