Thinking back to a question posed to me by a reader I recalled she told me her mother had occasionally used the phrase “fit of pique.”
She spelled “pique” for me but I knew three ways to spell the sound of “P long E K.” She was referring to the pique which is a feeling of resentment stemming from a wounded pride.
I could also envision a “fit of peak” that relates to an earlier mountain climbing experience.
Two of my work friends and I set out to climb Longs Peak. As we reached the Boulder Field, one of the guys was having difficulty breathing and feeling light-headed. We knew the peak would be around for future attempts (as it was when we reached the top the next year) so we retraced our steps.
Perhaps my friend had suffered a “fit of peak.”
Now, let us examine a “fit of peek.” To do so we must skip back in time to a legend.
In the 11th century in Coventry, England there was a penurious nobleman, the Earl of Mercia (no mercy here). The Earl slapped a repressive tax on the locals.
As the tale progresses, the Earl’s wife decided on a tactic to encourage her husband to repeal the tax. She decided to ride naked (covered by only her long hair, not a page-boy bob). There may have been better ideas but maybe she was a bit of an exhibitionist and centerfolds hadn’t been invented yet.
Thus as the legend states, many centuries ago she rode her horse (I’m guessing side-saddle) through the village streets.
Supposedly, one of the sneaky townsfolk (Thomas by name) chose to cast a quick glance at the passing attraction. He was struck blind — the story doesn’t mention how — for his offense.
It wasn’t a total loss for him (other than the experience) as he placed the term “Peeping Tom” in our vocabulary to describe a voyeur.
Returning to my earlier premise, we might suggest he had a “fit of peek.”
I’ve wandered away from the correct use of “fit of pique.”
That first appeared in 1551 to mean annoyance or irritation. The French word “piquer” meaning “to irritate” was the source.
It must have resonated with speakers because it’s survived for almost five centuries.
In this century in the New Republic of April 2000: “And yet the democracy flourishing in Taiwan has been greeted in other parts of the Chinese-speaking world with a certain pique and even with hostility.”
Some of you might suggest an erosion of the expression, a secondary usage has crept into our language. The concept of “ my curiosity has been piqued” meaning aroused is prevalent. However, that “aroused” thing may have been what got Tom into trouble — we don’t know.
So, a “fit of pique” for general usage means a moderate level of irritation — and in most neighborhoods, even those women concerned with high taxes don’t ride around naked (I am always alert).
In a remotely related item, if Eve had lived today she would probably have looked around for a smaller leaf.
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Trivially Speaking: Look into the usage of pique, peak and peek - Loveland Reporter-Herald
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