Why can some people "get your goat" instead of "getting your mynah bird" or "getting your basset hound?"

Senior Moments

It began as American slang, apparently early in the 20th century. H. L. Mencken writes in American Language (1945) of being told that the saying originated with the practice of horse racers often placing a goat in the stall with a nervous horse. The horse soon becomes accustomed to having the goat there and finds it comforting. The horse becomes less nervous and is not so easily upset. If a rival owner can steal or "get" this goat, then the horse gets nervous and upset and is likely to loose the race. In any event, the first recorded appearance of the expression in print is in Christy Mathewson's Pitching in a Pinch (1912): "Then Lobert stopped at third with a mocking smile which would have gotten the late Job's goat." Sep 29 03, 2:36 AM

Senior Moments

The closest I can get to mynah bird, for the twitchers amongst us, is "getting on your tits". Sep 29 03, 4:25 AM

gmackematix

I've had two goats and find it hard to imagine them calming anything down. Maybe they are better behaved in the presence of a much larger animal but I always found the name "go-at" very appropriate! Sep 29 03, 10:42 PM