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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 10, 2005 Since You Asked Do you know where the phrase "Beyond the pale" comes from? Did it originate as beyond something pale in color? Or even something invisible? — Art C, Ashland Hi, Art. We at Since You Asked render our congratulations for the fact you knew the expression features the word "pale" and not "pail." According to our sources at www.worldwide words.org, this ancient expression somehow involves a bucket. Do you suppose they’re supposing one is "beyond the pail " after having "kicked the bucket?" Buckets aside, here’s the kicker: in this instance, the word pale is not a descriptive adjective. It is a noun. Advertisement A "pale" is an old name for a pointed stake driven into the ground to form part of a fence. This meaning has been around in English since the fourteenth century. By 1400 it had taken on various figurative meanings, such as a defense, a safeguard, a barrier, an enclosure, or a limit beyond which it was not permissible to go. The expression beyond the pale — meaning outside the bounds of acceptable behavior — came much later. The idea behind it was that civilization stopped at the boundary of the pale. Beyond were those who were not under civilized control — and whose behavior therefore was not that of gentlemen. The earliest example found from researchers at this site is from Sir Walter Scott in 1819. A classic example appears in The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, dated 1837: "I look upon you, sir, as a man who has placed himself beyond the pale of society, by his most audacious, disgraceful and abominable public conduct." Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to Since You Asked ">[email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s