The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #3602   Message #3650617
Posted By: Ringer
13-Aug-14 - 06:05 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Barring of the Door
Subject: RE: Origins: Barring of the Door
Maybe it is I who have been chasing a wild goose. This BBC site (I've put the http:// in this time, Reinhard) says, "The Reivers, whilst having been some of the bloodiest characters in British history, have left a legacy of words in the English language. Terms in use today that stem directly from the reivers are Blackmail, Bereaved, Kidnap."

Perhaps it's just that the first usage of the word "blackmail" was to describe one of the Reivers' nefarious activities.

Sorry.