Windfall
May 4th 2009 14:31
The term windfall is used to denote some special turn of events or luck. The word itself tells what “windfall” means – something blown down by wind, such as trees, or fruit blown from trees. But the word has taken on a special meaning. This meaning – getting something unearned – was first used in medieval England.
When hungry, the people sometimes would kill the animals in the lord’s forest for food. And there were times when they might cut down trees for fuel. So, strong laws were passed against such acts.
But there was one way people could get wood from the forest. If they found trees blown by the wind – “windfalls” – they were free to take them for use as fuel in their homes. And that is the meaning that has come down to us – something good gotten by luck or accident.
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