Why do we call them "legs"?
May 8, 2012 | 11:15 pm
#1
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Why do we call them "legs"?
Infrequent traveler friends of mine call them legs.
I call them segments.
What is the origin of legs in travel vocabulary? Why do we use one over the other?
I call them segments.
What is the origin of legs in travel vocabulary? Why do we use one over the other?
May 9, 2012 | 5:58 am
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May 9, 2012 | 8:47 am
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Interesting question (at least I think it is). According to an online dictionary of etymology, "the meaning 'a part or stage of a journey or race' (1920) is from earlier sailing sense of 'a run made on a single tack' (1867), which was usually qualified as long leg, short leg, etc." This doesn't explain why "leg" was used in this way in the sailing sense, however, and I have no idea of the accuracy of the explanation.
Its use when talking about aeroplane trips that involve a stop (with or without a change of planes) is very common, however. I have also heard people use it of long car trips, not so much of train trips, and (ironically perhaps) I think never about a journey made on foot...
Its use when talking about aeroplane trips that involve a stop (with or without a change of planes) is very common, however. I have also heard people use it of long car trips, not so much of train trips, and (ironically perhaps) I think never about a journey made on foot...
Last edited by Christopher; May 9, 2012 at 8:53 am
May 9, 2012 | 9:02 am
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the result of a $50k government study concluded that less typing was required for legs than for segments.....
leg was always used when we talked about a multi stop trip....before any of us even thought about flying....
leg was always used when we talked about a multi stop trip....before any of us even thought about flying....
May 9, 2012 | 9:23 am
#7
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Legs have been used as a term for part of a journey long before airplanes were flying.
It's got other weird uses too, legs on wine, legs of a triangle, etc. It's just a word for a straight segment of something that's held to travel.
You don't have to be an infrequent traveler to use the term, it's a perfectly acceptable term for anybody to use
It's got other weird uses too, legs on wine, legs of a triangle, etc. It's just a word for a straight segment of something that's held to travel.
You don't have to be an infrequent traveler to use the term, it's a perfectly acceptable term for anybody to use
May 9, 2012 | 12:13 pm
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