Defining a Rake.

Late Friday night I was going through my Twitter feed to see what sort of gossip I may have missed out on.  A tweet caught my eye:

Lady D Eversley: I wonder how #rakes were given their appellation? Because they 'raked' through sexual Society?

Good question.

Although it was well past my hour to retire and gain some of my valued beauty rest, I went to my trusty source to answer such questions: The Oxford Dictionary.  The definition is as follows:

noun 
a fashionable or wealthy man of dissolute or promiscuous habits.

The word originated in the mid 17th century and is short for the work "rakehell" which doesn't seem to be an official word any more (or ever) since Oxford is void of it.

So it appears the answer to the lovely Lady Eversley's question is, "yes."  Rakes rake hell.

"rake³ "  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Ed. T. F. Hoad. Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  College of Saint Rose.  5 March 2011  

Twitter, an 18th Century Creation?

Enfilde had an interesting post go up yesterday discussing Twitter and the 18th Century. The two subjects don't usually go hand in hand. So it may surprise you to hear that The Wall Street Journal is reporting about how they do. How delightful! Curious? Check out:

Tome Tweet Tome?

Twitter Updates, the 18th Century Edition