I haven’t given you any language trivia for quite awhile. By now you know that I’m a die-hard for getting people interested in language.
But what IS a “die-hard”? Today it means a person who is firmly set on a certain belief. But it hasn’t always meant that.
Originally (1700s) this term was a lot more literal than it is today. It referred to a hanged man who struggled a long time before dying on the gallows. Later, during the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Albuera (1811s) gave it added meaning when a British officer was wounded. Instead of pulling back, he urged his soldiers on by yelling, “Stand your ground and die hard. Make the enemy pay dear for each of us!” That did the trick. Despite the 75% casualty rate, the regiment soldiered on to victory. Thereafter, their nickname was “the Die Hards.”
So now you know……..