# Origin of "Get Your Goat?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-get-your-goat/247719>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 29, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-get-your-goat/247719 "2004-05-29T23:24:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-get-your-goat/247719/1 "2004-05-29T23:24:14Z")

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What is the origin of the phrase “that really gets my goat”, or variations thereof? Did it start with the herdsmen from a lost age? I doubt it…

Thanks,  
Jinx

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**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-get-your-goat/247719/2 "2004-05-29T23:46:43Z")

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Goats were sometimes placed in the stall of a highstrung, spirited horse. The presence of the goat supposedly calmed the horse. If the goat was removed, the horse’s attitude could change for the worse. There are tales of this occuring prior to important horse races, in order to keep the horse from doing it’s best.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-get-your-goat/247719/3 "2004-05-30T02:12:10Z")

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[An alternative viewpoint.](http://www.word-detective.com/back-j2.html#goat)