Why did Philippe Croizon have his limbs amputated?

Search: Phillipe Croizon

Why: Edward just posted this article with the tagline, "This guy clearly aspires to get eaten":

Philippe Croizon, Quadruple Amputee, To Brave Shark-Infested Crossings Between Five Continents

Croizon, who made a splash with his English Channel swim in 2010, is going to dive into open seas again, Agence France Presse reported.

A custom pair of flippers enables the limbless Croizon to swim.

With Arnaud Chassery, a former long-distance swimming champion, Croizon will start an aquatic tour in May 2012 in the Pacific Ocean with a 12-mile crossing between coastal towns in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia in an area known to be a shark and poisonous jellyfish habitat.

Etc. Where did his pre-existing limbs go? Into a shark's mouth? Because if so, he's really just an asshole.

Answer: Ha shoot:

• "A freak accident"
• His amputations were required due to a severe electric shock accident which occurred in March 1994.

And if I had scrolled to the bottom of the original article, I might have seen this:

• Croizon lost his arms and legs in 1994 after he was electrocuted while adjusting a television antennae on the roof.

That sucks.

Source: Daily Mail, Wikipedia, AOL

The More You Know: Speaking of sharks, I am going to the beach next week (in Florida, not California). Will I go in the ocean? I can't say for sure yet, but I will keep in mind that bull sharks attack in less than 2 feet of water, and also that they like to kill people in all parts of Florida, including Destin. Other sharks do, too!

Fatal, unprovoked shark attacks in Florida in the last 10 years:

• Thadeus Kubinski, 69 (8/30/2000) - Killed by a bull shark while swimming in Pinellas County, FL. Witnesses said Kubinski had jumped into the water from the dock behind his home for his daily swim and was splashing vigorously. The shark raced toward him with its dorsal fin out of the water. He died from massive blood loss and organ damage before rescuers could get to him. The shark was estimated to be 9 ft long and weigh 400 lbs.
• Eric Reichardt, 42 (9/16/01) - Drowned while diving on the wreck of the Ronald B. Johnson in 270 ft of water 2 miles off Pompano Beach, FL fighting off a bull or tiger shark. His diving regulator may have fallen out of his mouth causing him to drown.
• Jamie Marie Daigle, 14 (6/25/05) - Killed while swimming with a friend on boogie boards about 200 yards off a beach in Walton County, FL, 8 miles east of Destin, FL. Witnesses estimated the shark was 6–8 ft long.
• Stephen Howard Schafer, 38 (2/3/10) - Killed by a bull shark while kitesurfing at approximately 4:15 p.m. about 500 yards off an unguarded section of a beach south of Stuart Beach in Martin County, FL. Authorities initially thought that multiple sharks may have been involved in the incident due to reports by rescuers that he was surrounded by sharks; the Martin County medical examiner's office concluded that he died from massive blood loss from a leg wound

Can you guess how many fatal shark attacks have occurred on dry land? I bet you can.

If you are in California and thinking about joining Saturday Surf Club, don't forget to check the Pacific Coast Shark Watch (for reports about shark sightings this week at Long Beach, Newport, Seal Beach, etc.) every single day until you change your mind. And maybe also think about this poor kid:

• Lucas McKaine Ransom, 19 (10/22/2010) - Died after a great white shark pulled him off his bodyboard just before 9 a.m. about 100 yards off Surf Beach near in Santa Barbara County, CA. He suffered the loss of his left leg, resulting in massive blood loss. The shark that attacked Ransom is believed to have been 17–18 ft long, weighing approximately 4,000 lbs.

What does "estery" mean?

Search: estery definition; ester

Why: On the label for Samuel Adams Rustic Saison (available in the Sam Adams Summer Styles variety pack):

Incredibly complex yet refreshing, Rustic Saison is brewed in the farmhouse beer tradition. Unique floral, fruity, and estery flavors are imparted from its Belgian yeast. These flavors are layered with a citrusy and herbal hop character for a bright and satisfying brew.

Answer: "Tastes floral / fruity"! I see these 3 things:

• Ester - Volatile flavor compound naturally created in fermentation
• Estery - Aroma or flavor suggestive of flowers or fruits
• Fruity/Estery - Flavor and aroma of bananas, strawberries, apples, or other fruits

People throw that word around quite a bit on homebrewing forums.

An ester is an organic compound formed when an acid and an alcohol combine and release water.

Esters formed from simple hydrocarbon groups are colorless, volatile liquids with pleasant aromas and create the fragrances and flavors of many flowers and fruits. They are also used as food flavorings. Larger esters, formed from long-chain carboxylic acids, commonly occur as animal and vegetable fats, oils, and waxes. Esters have a wide range of uses in industry.

Source: Beer Terminology, TheFreeDictionary

The More You Know: The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow. What's the origin of the word julep, you ask? It comes from the Persian word گلاب Golâb, "rose water." It used to refer to any sweet drink that was used as or contained medicine, but now it just means delicious, delicious sugary minty bourbon.

How old is Mike Krzyzewski?

Search: mike krzyzewski

Why: He just won his career 900th game! He is the second winningest coach of all time, behind only Bobby Knight with 902. That means that if Duke wins 3 more games this season - including the championship - Coach K will be #1! Let's all cross our fingers!

Answer: He's 64! WHAT! That's older than my dad! He was born in Chicago in Feb. 1947. He has always looked exactly the same.

1991:

2010:

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Mike Krzyzewski is married to Carol “Mickie” Marsh, originally from Alexandria, VA. Coach and Mrs. K have three daughters, Debbie Savarino, Lindy Frasher, and Jamie Spatola, and five grandchildren, Joey, Michael, Carlyn and Emelia Savarino, and Quin Frasher. I learned how to spell Krzyzewski when I was, like, 8.

What's the origin of the word tournament?

Search: tournament etymology

Why: How are everybody's brackets doing? I am 24-4. Thanks for nothing, Villanova.

Answer: It comes from French! Torneier means "to joust or tilt," and a torneiement was a "contest between knights on horseback." In the 1300s, that word came to mean something about a "medieval martial arts contest," and we started using it how we do now - regarding games of skill - around 1761.

Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know: What's the origin of "seeding" in basketball? First used in tennis (1924), it comes from the idea of spreading certain players or teams apart - like seeds - so they will not meet too early in a tournament. Barry O wants all of the #1 seeds in the Final Four. OK!

What's the origin of the word "carabiner"?

Search: karabiner

Why: The 40 oz. wide Klean Kanteen comes with a loop cap that clips right onto a Kanteen® S-Biner.

Answer: It's from German!

Shortened from the German word Karabinerhaken, "carbine hook" - that is, one used to attach a carbine rifle to a belt

Source: Glossary of Caving Terms

The More You Know: Why does German capitalize seemingly arbitrary words? Well, for one, they're all nouns. ALL nouns are capitalized, and, of course, proper names and titles (Frietag, Deutsche Bank, Frau Jones). They do not, however, capitalize adjectives of nationality: "American car" is amerikanisches Auto; "German wine" is deutscher Wein. They don't capitalize "I" (ich), but they do capitalize all formal forms of "you" - Sie, Ihnen, Ihr. It's all very complicated. There's a whole Bund für vereinfachte rechtschreibung ("Federation for Simplified Spelling") that regulates things like this; new rules went into effect as recently as 2005.

What words can you play in Scrabble with a Q but not U?

Search: scrabble dictionary q but not u

Why: Chandler is asking. I swear I'm not cheating, everyone I'm currently playing. I don't even have any Qs (except in one of the games [but which one!!!]).

Answer: There are several! Here's a list (though Scrabble dictionaries may vary, so check before you play):

ANTIQ (an accepted abbreviation for the words “antiquary” and “antiquarian")
BURQA (garment worn by Islamic women)
BURQAS (plural of BURQAS)
FAQIR (Muslim or Hindu monk)
FAQIRS (plural of FAQIR)
MBAQANGA (a style of South African music)
MBAQANGAS (plural of MBAQANGA)
QABALA (occult or secret doctrine, variation of CABALA)
QABALAH (variation of CABALA, QABALA)
QABALAS (plural of QABALA)
QABALAHS (plural of QABALAH)
QADI (Islamic judge)
QADIS (plural of QADI)
QAID (a Muslim tribal chief or senior official)
QAIDS (plural of QAID)
QANAT (gently sloping underground tunnel for irrigation)
QANATS (plural of QANAT)
QAT (leaf of the shrub Catha edulis)
QATS (plural of QAT)
QI (a circulating life energy in Chinese philosophy)
QIS (plural of QI)
QINDAR (Albanian currency, variation of QINTAR)
QINDARKA (plural of QINDAR)
QINDARS (plural of QINDAR)
QINTAR (Albanian currency)
QINTARS (plural of QINTAR)
QIVIUT (musk-ox wool)
QIVIUTS (plural of QIVIUT)
QOPH (19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet)
QOPHS (plural of QOPH)
QWERTY (the traditional configuration of computer keyboard keys)
QWERTYS (plural of QWERTY)
SHEQALIM (plural of SHEQEL)
SHEQEL (any of several ancient units of weight)
SUQ (variant of souk; a marketplace in Arab cities)
SUQS (plural of SUQ)
TALAQ (a method of divorce in Islamic law)
TRANQ (sedative)
TRANQS (plural of TRANQ)
TSADDIQ (Hebrew term for a spiritual leader)
TZADDIQ (Hebrew term for a spiritual leader)
UMIAQ (a boat made of stretched animal skins by Inuits)

Source: Boardgames.about.com, YourDictionary, Scrabble Lookup, ScrabbleFinder

The More You Know: Do you know the band Q and Not U? I saw them once playing at Hamilton College (in Clinton, NY), which is right by (and almost identical to) Colgate (which is in Hamilton, NY). Here is their best song, "Soft Pyramids." Spell it out!

What is the origin of the name Reebok?

Search: reebok name

Why: Joel posted this fun video, which features Garth Algar as a Reebok man:

I have always felt like Reeboks are kind of geeky.

Answer: It comes from the name rhebok, which is a type of antelope or gazelle that lives in Southern Africa!

Legend has it that:

In 1960, two of the [shoe company's] founder's grandsons, Joe and Jeff Foster renamed the company Reebok, having found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a boy; the dictionary was South African edition, hence the spelling.

It's Afrikaans. I bet that animal is pretty fast.

Source: Yahoo! Answers

The More You Know: Also, in case you didn't learn this as a toddler because your brother wore head-to-toe adidas whenever possible:

• The name adidas comes from the name of German founder Adolf "Adi" Dassler.
  
• In 1924, Adi (24) and his brother Rudolph (26) - whose father worked in a shoe factory - had their own track shoe-making business called Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory)
• Adi and Rudi both became members of the Nazi Party in the 1930s, but Rudy was closer to the movement.
  

During the war, Rudolf was drafted while Adi stayed behind to produce boots for the Wehrmacht. A growing rift between the pair reached a breaking point after an Allied bomb attack in 1943. Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in. "The dirty bastards are back again," Adi said, apparently referring to the Allied war planes, but Rudolf was convinced his brother meant him and his family.

After Rudolf was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of the Waffen SS, he was convinced that his brother had turned him in.

• In 1948, after the rift between the brothers, Rudolph left the company to found his own shoe company - first called Ruda (get it?), but later, he changed it to Puma. A year later, Adi changed the other company name to adidas. The division split their town Herzogenaurach in two :(

If you want to know more, you can read this book Sneaker Wars, though I hear it is just OK. Or you can read this post on this blog, since it's way shorter.

Why do people say "straight from the horse's mouth"?

Search: straight from the horse's mouth

Why: Joel wants to know.

Answer: It's from betting on horse racing!

In horse racing circles, tips on which horse is a likely winner circulate amongst punters. The most trusted authorities are considered to be those in closest touch with the recent form of the horse, i.e. stable lads, trainers, etc. The notional "from the horse's mouth" is supposed to indicate one step better than even that inner circle, i.e. the horse itself.

Like a horse knows who's going to win. As if.

Source: Phrases.org.uk

The More You Know: Speaking of animals and Joel, look who's famous!

What's the origin of the term "bush league"?

Search: bush league

Why: Some comedian has written "BUSH LEAGUE" on a sheet of notebook paper and taped it to the broken ice maker in the breakroom.

Answer: The early days of baseball! As major league baseball became the "national sport," teams popped up in rural communities. These "minor leagues" were good entertainment for people who lived far away from the big cities that had professional teams. They played on crappy fields that were surrounded by bushes. Get it?

Source: WiseGeek

The More You Know: Since the players in the "bush leagues" were amateurs who usually had day jobs - and therefore were not professionals - the quality of their play was viewed as inferior.

This sense of inferiority came to be closely identified with the concept of being bush league in nature, and to this day is used to refer to something that is not quite professional in quality.

Just like our broken ice maker.

I want to see a picture of Jay Mariotti

Search: jay mariotti

Why: The sports columnist and ESPN panelist's girlfriend said he assaulted her, but his attorney says she was "extremely intoxicated" and "abusive."

The pair began arguing at a club in Santa Monica. The unspecified disagreement persisted when they arrived home to their apartment in Venice, and the dispute allegedly became physical, at which time police were called in.

I just want to see if he looks like the kind of champ who would hit a girl.

Answer: Well, I'm doing that thing with my face that implies, like, "I think you know."

Source: Google Images

The More You Know:

How did that fight get started at the US Open?

Search: us open fight start

Why: Someone posted it this morning, but Edward just did again - from the Huffington Post:

According to the New York Daily News, a brawl broke out among spectators Thursday night in section 187 as Novak Djokovic and Philipp Petzschner played nearby. Both participants -- a woman and a man -- were reportedly taken away by police.

Answer: That man had a sassy mouth!

A dark-haired woman took exception to a particularly loud and abrasive young man and his expletive-filled usage of the English language. The young man stood face-to-face with the woman in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium and continued to use colorful jargon in his own defense.

Then the woman smacked him.

Surprisingly, the fight did not begin at that moment. The young man laughed it off, clapping his hands. He said, "C'mon, smack me again. Go ahead ... I don't give a f--- what anybody wants. I got a lot of money on this game, and I f------ paid for my ticket."

The verbal sparring, which included exaggerating waving and gesticulating by both participants, seemed to wane. Then the young man yelled, "You f------ made me miss half the game, because you're being a f------ idiot!"

The woman had traded places with the older man, who had been standing down the row of bleachers behind the woman observing the verbal volleying. After hearing the woman being called an idiot, he grabbed the young man by the throat. The two seemed to grapple, then toppled over into the seats below them.

The older man stayed down for some time, but the young man quickly rose. He was then rushed by the woman, who also seemed to go for the young man's throat. He shoved her away. Several men descended on the scuffle, many grabbing and attempting to restrain the younger man.

The Novak Djokovic-Philipp Petzschner match was halted while the fracas was controlled and the unruly fighters were led away. Even the players stood and watched as the trio were handcuffed and marched off.

Source: Associated Content

The More You Know: Whoa, have you ever seen John McEnroe's 70s hair? This is my first time.

Why does Cameron say "Kennedy" after "Hey Batter Batter"?

Search: hey batter kennedy

Why: David is talking about cake mixture. In this scene (from Ferris Bueller, doy), he's all "Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy..."

Answer: He's not! He's saying, "He can't hit, he can't hit, he can't it, he can't it, sa-wiiing batterrr." Well, turn my screws.

Though some suggest it really is "Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy" from this catchy-ass 1960 campaign jingle:

Do you want a man for President who sees it through and through,
But not so doggone seasoned that he won't try something new?

It's up to you.

Source: MarkItUp, The Living Room Candidate

The More You Know: Cameron's house is in Highland Park, IL. Here it is on Google Maps Street View - you can't see it from the street, you can see this lol.

Ferris's house is in Long Beach. Road trip?

What was the longest ever flight at Flugtag?

Search: flugtag

Why: Red Bull Flugtag is in Long Beach Saturday August 21st.

Competitors attempt to fly homemade human-powered flying machines.

See you there!

Answer: 207 feet, aka 63 meters! The record was set just a few weeks ago, on July 24th in St. Paul by a team called Major Trouble and The Dirty Dixies! Watch this shit:

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Here are some other previous record holders:

• 30 m - Prague, 2006
• 26.9 m - Istanbul, 2008
  
• 26 m - Dubai, 2005
  
• 26 m - Vancouver, 2006
• 22 m - Auckland, 2002

What kind of master's degree does Shaq have?

Search: shaquille o'neal

Why: Last night on Jimmy Fallon (?), he was talking about his show "Shaq Vs" because Season 2 starts tonight. He said something like, "I have a bachelor's degree and I have a master's," and I was like, "Whaaah?"

Answer: Business! from the University of Phoenix. He studied business at LSU from 1989-92, but left early to play for the NBA.

However, he promised his mother he would eventually return to his studies and complete his bachelor's degree. He fulfilled that promise in 2000, earning his bachelor of arts in general studies. Coach Phil Jackson let O'Neal miss a home game so he could attend graduation. At the ceremony, he told the crowd "now I can go and get a real job."

Then, in 2005, O'Neal earned an MBA through the University of Phoenix online.

It's just something to have on my resume for when I go back into reality. Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else.

Cute.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Speaking of planning for the future, did you know that Jerry O'Connell Romijn Stamos is in law school?

Where did the name Badminton come from?

Search: badminton

Why: I had a busy weekend.

Answer: It was the name of some guy's estate! A brief history of the game:

• Originally called "battledore and shuttlecock," the game was played in ancient civilizations of Europe and Asia more than 2,000 years ago. Battledore means "bat or paddle" (and is what I will be calling badminton from now on, fyi).
• In the 1600s, rich English people played battledore and shuttlecock like Keep-It-Up style, just hitting it back and forth and trying not to let it touch the ground.

• In the mid-19th centry, British military officers stationed in India added the net. They were in a town called Poona, so they called the game Poona lol.
• When retired officers returned to England, they took the game with them. The Duke of Beaufort had a stately home called Badminton House in Gloucester. Guests there played battledore and shuttlecock.
  

Where did the name of Badminton House come from? Well, I don't know, but look at all those puppies:

Source: USABadminton.org

The More You Know: Some badminton facts. Get ready:

• Badminton is the 2nd most popular sport in the world (after soccer).
• The IBF headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• The best shuttlecocks are made from the feathers from the left wing of a goose.
• More than 1.1 billion people watched the 1992 Olympic Badminton competition on television.
• Only 3 countries have won the Thomas Cup (men's) since its inception in 1948: Malaysia, Indonesia and China.
• Only 4 countries have won the Uber Cup (women's) since its inception in 1956: Japan, Indonesia, China, and USA! USA!!
  

What's the song in that Schwinn commercial?

Search: "i think i found the answer in your smile"

Why: I just saw it on Brrravo. It made me want to replace the rusty chains on my bike.

Answer: "Just a Dream" by A.M. Sixty! Here's the rest of it:

Source: Yahoo! Answers

The More You Know: Lyrics:

Thinkin maybe that I met you in a dream
When I'm with you
Life is too good to be true
I think I found the answer in your smile
Don't go
Please stay with me a while
Is this just a dream
Or is it my reality
When I wake up from this sleep
Will you still be lying next to me

Where did the Frisbee get its name?

Search: frisbee history

Why: I have one. It glows in the dark.

Answer: The Frisbie Pie Company in Bridgeport, CT! Did you ever notice that they're shaped like pie tins?

Legend has it:

Truck drivers for the company were the first to toss Frisbie Pie tins on the loading docks during idle times. The tins bore the words "Frisbie's Pies" and had 6 small holes in the center, in a star pattern, that hummed when the tin flew.

The sport moved to Eastern colleges, where students shouted "Frisbie!" to warn people of incoming pie tins. A sport developed and took on the name "Frisbie-ing."

Wham-O - which, btw, is named for the sound their wooden slingshot's pellets make on impact - had been selling Pluto Platters (formerly Flyin' Saucers) since 1948 with little success. After witnessing the game at Yale in 1958, they renamed their product the Wham-O Frisbee, registered it as a trademark, and sold 100 million of them by 1977.

Source: The Ultimate Handbook

The More You Know: In the 1970s, "Steady" Ed Headrick invented the modern Frisbee, which flies straight (if you throw it correctly, which I don't). When he died in February of this year, his ashes were incorporated into some commemorative Frisbees "so his soul could fly freely." He also said:

When we die, we don't go to purgatory. We just land up on the roof and lay there.

Why do foxhunters say tally-ho?

Search: tally ho origin

Why: On the fourfour recap of last week's "America's Next Top Model" finale (spoiler alert):

"Big Talley hug!"

I really might start shouting, "Talley hug!" every time I see a hot guy, much the way you might shout "tally -ho!" if you see a fox and you are a British hunter. That way he will know even from afar that I'm gay and can figure out what he wants to do about that in relative advance.

Answer: Theories:

• From old Norman Tya Hillaut, shouted by hunters when they found a deer, brought to England by William the Conqueror in 1066
• From Palestinian Arabic Tāl hum, "Come here," brought to England by men returning from the Crusades
  
• From French taille haut, "raise swords," a rallying cry of commanders on battlefields
• From French taïaut, used to excite hounds when hunting deer (1772)
• From French Thia-hilaud a qui forheur! which hunters shouted to encourage their dogs. It became the English "Tallio, hoix, hark, forward."

Source: Yahoo! Answers, Wikipedia, Phrases.org.uk

The More You Know: Fox hunting (or fox chasing as it's called here, since the point of the game is the chase, not the kill) is known as venery. The word comes from Venus, the goddess of Love, from Latin vener- "desire, love" or "hunt" or "chase." I hope you see where this is going.

Puppies!

How did Jean-Claude Van Damme get into acting?

Search: jean claude van damme

Why: You know this gif? (I don't know really how to post gifs, but you can click on it to see it in its full glory... maybe.)

It's from a 1984 movie called Breakin', which I watched last night with Ariana and Cody. That is the extent of his role - he's part of a crowd on the Venice boardwalk watching some hardcore breakdancing. (The girl in the pink thong is the star.)

Answer: Born 1960 in Brussels as Jean-Claude Camille Francois Van Varenberg, he grew up doing Shotokan karate, eventually earning his black belt. He competed on the Belgian Karate Team and in other martial arts competitions, eventually forming a style that consists of kickboxing, Shotokan karate, Muay Thai, and Taekwondo.

From 16 to 21, he studied ballet, describing it as "an art, but... also one of the most difficult sports." He was also a weightlifter, and he won the Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title in 1978.

In 1982, he and a pal moved to America to try to make it big as action stars, and both were cast as extras in Breakin'. In 1985, he was cast as the villain in No Retreat, No Surrender, and then finally in his breakout role in Bloodsport in 1988.

Source: Wikipedia, TheVanDammeFans

The More You Know: I was also curious about some of the other actors in Breakin', since the only other person I recognized was Christopher "Shooter McGavin" MacDonald.

• Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers went on to dance as the Urkelbot in "Family Matters" and as Good Robot Bill at the end of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, which I think everyone knows is my favorite movie of all time.

He has been in some music videos for folks like Chaka Khan and Sugar Ray.

• Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quinones was one of the founders of the dance style commonly known as locking. He danced in Xanadu, Tango & Cash, and an episode of "Miami Vice" He was a primary dancer and main choreographer for Madonna's Who's That Girl? Tour in 1987, and he choreographed Three Six Mafia's performance at the Oscars the year they won.
• Lucina Dickey was third runner-up for Miss Kansas. She recently appeared as a judge on TLC's Master of Dance.

All three reprised their roles in Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, which I plan to watch sometime rill soon. Stay tuned.

What is the origin of the word "handicap"?

Search: handicap etymology

Why: People say "handi-capable" like it means... anything.

Answer: It comes from a lottery game called "hand-in-cap" that was popular in the 1600s! I don't really get it, but here are the rules:

To play hand-in-cap required three people; two players and a referee. The game began with all three putting forfeit money into a cap, with ownership of this kitty to be decided by the outcome of the game. Each of the two players would then offer up an item he thought the other guy might want. The referee would inspect the items and assign a monetary value to the difference between the worth of the two things, thereby more or less equalizing the transaction. He who offered the lesser-valued item also had to pony up with the amount decreed by the referee.

Once this appraisal was completed, the two players would reach into their pockets to either draw out loose change or not, depending on whether they were happy with the proposed swap. (This change did not become part of the transaction over and above the appraisal fee; it was merely symbolic). If both drew out coins, the exchange was effected, and the referee took the forfeit money for himself. If neither drew out coins, the referee again took the forfeit money, though the exchange was no made. But if only one drew out coins, he was entitled to the forfeit money, even though the again the exchange was not made.

Eventually, "hand-in-cap" (or "hand i'cap" or "handicap") came to refer not just to the barter game, but to any action that worked to make a contest more equitable. In the original game, the owner of the less valuable item put up pocket money to make both sides of the proposed transaction more balanced. In sports, it worked the other way: the strong (faster horse [1754] or faster runner) was brought down to meet the weak.

Lolwut

Thus, "handicapping" became a term for leveling out the playing field by making stronger contestants bear a penalty. From here, it went from an "imposed impediment" to just an "impediment" [1883] or a "physical limitation" [1915].

It does not come from disabled people coming "cap in hand" to the King to beg for their lives.

Source: Snopes

The More You Know: I bet you can figure out where "referee" comes from, but do you remember the story of the umpire?