[240 words]
Hoover Rupert used to say, “The measure of someone is the size of the thing it takes to get his or her goat.” The old phrase “get your goat” refers to the sensitivity of racehorses. According to Dr. Rupert, racehorses are infamously high-strung. Horse trainers learned many years ago that highly sensitive animals like a stall mate, and a goat is one of the most suitable companions for a racehorse. In fact, once a racehorse bonded with a goat, that horse would go crazy if the goat were taken away.
On the theory that all is fair in love and horse racing, gamblers used to try to shorten the odds by stealing a thoroughbred’s stall mate. The hope was to reduce the racehorse’s chance of winning. From this practice, “to get one’s goat” came to stand for upsetting a person so that there was a complete loss of temper.
So, the measure of a person is the size of the thing it takes to get one’s goat. What does it take to upset you? What does it take to make you lose your temper? How emotionally high-strung are you when you find yourself in a situation with your goat being out of the stall? Perhaps, we should give close attention to the words of Paul, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Eph. 4:26). Has someone “got your goat?”
Tom Moore
From the Preacher’s PC