Tuesday, October 02, 2007

BBB Etymology - Hair of the Dog

This supposed antidote to a hangover is an allusion to an old belief that the (burnt) hair of a dog would act as an antidote to the bite of a mad dog if it was placed on the wound. This belief was in accordance with an older Roman one that 'like is cured by like', expressed in Latin as similia similibus curantura.