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I had to google it

laceyvail 6A, WV

10 years ago

I recently finished Susan Cooper's terrific YA series The Dark is Rising, before getting ready to recommend it to my granddaughter. In the last book, reference is made to polecats. The books are set in England (mostly Cornwall and Wales), but the context made it clear that they were not referring to what is called a polecat in America -usually southern America--skunks. So I had to look it up. Apparently a ferret type critter.

Yet another example of British English vs. American.

Featured Answer

vee_new

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

Pole Cats Return

lacey, some years ago here in the West of England, we accidentally caught a polecat in a rabbit trap. We had do idea what it was and had to 'look it up'. After carefully removing it from the trap (we didn't want to be prosecuted for killing some endangered-species) we sent a photo to the people at the site above who identified it as a 'true' polecat . . . not one that has interbred with a ferret. They were very rare in our area and mostly live down rabbit burrows and eat the occupants.

A couple of years later a young polecat 'kit' was trapped by a hind leg. John, wearing his thick leather gauntlets removed it and we were amazed how something so small could 'stretch' to about 15 ins. and disappear at great speed, but not before sinking its needle-sharp teeth through the leather into J's thumb.

There are no skunks in the UK.

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Comments (7)

yoyobon_gw
10 years ago
It is my understanding that a polecat is a skunk.
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laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author
10 years ago
Vee, that's what I thought, no skunks in the UK. I wonder if the early Scots Irish settlers of these southern mountains didn't bring the term with them and applied it to what they might have considered the nastiest critter in this area. Though, aside from their talent of skunking, skunks are quite sweet. I knew someone who had one as a pet years ago. It was deskunked, of course.
vee_new
10 years ago
lacey, certainly 'to smell like a polecat' is not a 'nice' expression to use about anyone/thing over here so maybe that is the link. I must say that the ones we 'found' didn't pong but that may have been because they were young and in good health. I don't think they produce a scent as skunks do.

I just noticed that their Latin name Mustela putorius is smell-related!
carolyn_ky
10 years ago
One of my little brothers and a cousin chased a skunk once. It retaliated, and my mother, who had company, wouldn't let them into the house to clean up. I understand tomato juice is the best cleaner-upper, but we didn't know that back then.
Rosefolly z5
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I have to Google things all the time. Though actually I use DuckDuckGo, a search engine that respects your privacy better than Google does. I'm not doing anything on the internet to raise alarm, but it annoys me that someone it tracing my searches. It's simply none of their business what I choose to look up.

And I had no idea that 'polecat' ever meant anything except skunk. We live and learn, or in this case, read and learn.
laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, since the UK polecat is famous for its bad smell, it's little wonder why the Scots Irish who settled these mountains applied the same name to the skunk.

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