Episode 10: Handicap

The etymology of handicap is the source of a myth that dates back to sixteenth century England. The myth claims that ‘handicap’ is a mutated contraction of the expression ‘cap in hand,’ an old euphemism for begging. However, ‘handicap’ is in fact a contraction of ‘hand in cap,’ a popular Medieval bartering game. Over the course of today's episode, we examine how the word came to mean ‘a physical or mental disability’ and why it's now considered to be a politically incorrect term.