Food & Drink
02 Nov 2017
You may have heard the phrase 'beyond the pale'. In modern language, it refers to behaviour that ventures outside of the bounds of what is considered acceptable – behaviour that's a little bit naughty and mischievous. You know, the kind of cheeky debauchery you might get up to with a little Dutch courage. What you may not know, however, is that the origin of the phrase dates back to 14th Century Ireland. The part of the country that was under English rule was marked by a boundary of stakes or fences, know as the English Pale. Those who travelled outside that boundary, or beyond the pale, were considered uncouth and unacceptable amongst civilisation. more