| ''Once fishing was a rabbit's foot— O wind blow cold, O wind blow hot,'' | ||||
| Robert Lowell (1917-1977), U.S. poet. The Drunken Fisherman (l. 17-18). . . Selected Poems [Robert Lowell]. (Rev. ed. 1977; repr. 1993) Farrar, St... |
Taiwan demands Philippines investigate shooting death of fisherman in disputed ...
Washington Post
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine coast guard has become the latest incident to roil tensions over territorial disputes in and around the South China Sea, with Taipei calling Friday for Manila to apologize ...
Japan gets cold feet on total nuclear phase-out
Businessweek
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Cabinet on Wednesday stopped short of committing to phase out nuclear power by 2040, backtracking from an advisory panel's recommendations in the face of opposition from pro-nuclear businesses and groups. The decision came ...
Cold feet is apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action.[1]
The origin of the term itself has been attributed to American author Stephen Crane, who added the phrase, in 1896, to the second edition of his short novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.[2]
The behaviour may be modelled as a tension between temptation and self control. If pessimism increases as the point of no return approaches then the individual may balk and refuse to proceed.[3]
Deliberately making an irreversible choice, thereby precluding any possibility of suffering indecision or cold feet, is known as crossing the Rubicon.
Marriage
A common use of the phrase is when people fear the commitment of marriage and get cold feet before a wedding ceremony.[4]In some cultures, the foot of a rabbit is carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck. This belief is held by individuals in many parts of the world including Europe, China, Africa, and North and South America. It is likely that this belief has existed in Europe since 600 BC amongst Celtic people living in Britain. In variations of this superstition, the donor rabbit must possess certain attributes, or have been killed in a particular place, or killed by a particular method, or by a person possessing particular attributes (e.g. by a cross-eyed man).
It is widely believed that a rabbit's foot possesses power to bring good luck to its holder. This is believed to have stemmed from the pre-Celtic tradition of hunter clans rite of passage for their adolescent members. These young males were first introduced to hunting rabbits, as an introduction to his apprenticeship as a hunter. If they were successful, one of the hind feet of the rabbit was presented to them in a ceremony which would welcome them to manhood within the clan.
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