dogs and sore throats

I had a sore throat for most of the last week, and one of the ways I dealt with it was to rest for a while each afternoon in bed, in the belief that rest is always helpful in making a good recovery from illness. Penny loved the fact that she was allowed to curl up with me - she's not normally allowed on beds.

It did occur to me to wonder whether Penny might catch my sore throat, but I thought that was not possible. Now that I'm feeling better, I've looked on the Net and, to my surprise, discovered that dogs can catch a sore throat from us humans - but not vice versa. She's looking healthy and happy today, so I assume it didn't happen!

And that's not the only dog-connection to sore throats that I came across. The old name for a severe sore throat was quinsy. And that word came from Greek roots meaning dog collar or dog strangling. More about this at my word blog.

Now, that I can understand! If Penny is walking on lead and spots something irresistibly fascinating, she goes for it, whether or not she's being strangled by her collar and lead. From the gargling sounds I'd say she suffers a temporary quinsy.

It's the same root word that underlies the idea of cynicism.