1608: Johnson's Definition of Oats | May 10, 2019

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In Johnson's 1755 dictionary, among the nearly 43,000 definitions, he included the famous 'oats': 'a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.' Aside from being a sick burn—or in Scotland a 'sick Burns'—at the time, the dictionary also established itself not only as a wordlist but it also included quotes from historical and literary figures to bolster national pride. Many people attribute the snide definition of 'oats' as reminiscent of a Pliny quote which relates the same idea about Germanic peoples.

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