THE CAT'S PAJAMAS XVI

Tad Tuleja

 

A collectionof the (mostly) true origins of familiar phrases

 

CURRY FAVOR

 

To curry favor of a person (usually a superior) is to seek to be in that person's good graces, often ostentatiously or obsequiously. This "curry" is not the dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. Curry in this expression refers to removing sweat, dirt, and loose hair from horses - a process the horses enjoy, often becoming especially close to the person that grooms them.

The first favor-seekers were the stableboys of Louis XIV. The Sun King was extremely fond of the mounts which he housed at his palace at Versailles, and to ingratiate themselves with their sovereign, hi grooms curried the poor beasts around the clock; thus, even if the king should pay a midnight visit to the stables, he would find the animals actively attended. Paddock slang for this unnecessary labor was "the currying into His Majesty's favor."