tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043579.post7657373243463947696..comments2023-10-16T05:45:16.388-05:00Comments on Never that Easy: This post may only be interesting to sociology/history/word nerds: I apologize in advance. Never That Easyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04008749218695113192noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043579.post-1685183371575908642014-09-03T02:53:06.084-05:002014-09-03T02:53:06.084-05:00I have always assumed it was something to do with ...I have always assumed it was something to do with the Indian (of India) climate and how the British experienced that during our imperial misadventures. It is very rare to find an Americanism in British English before the middle of the last century, but you find "Indian Summer" in old novels etc.. <br /><br />The British had immensely close ties with India - we had begun pushing them around before the Mayflower had sailed. When we first took over, we regarded Indians with tremendous respect and started adopting bits of their language, food and customs. Then we wanted to exploit them more thoroughly, so we decided they were all savages who needed teaching cricket and Christianity. <br /><br />Anyway, these days British folk say things like "Step up to the plate" when most of no have little idea which sport that even comes from. But you don't get that sort of thing among older folk or in old books. I think children only started playing "Cowboys & Indians" in the 1940 and 50s when we started seeing films along those lines.<br /><br />However, even if it is a Britishism, it wouldn't surprise me if the "Indian" in Indian Summer is meant in the way you describe - a deceptive outsider. Meanwhile, despite my (imperial?) instinct, language does move about the globe in every conceivable direction, and there are words and phrases in British English that came back from America a hundred or two hundred years ago. <br /><br />Hope it cools down soon.The Goldfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213378454070776331noreply@blogger.com