The Boss
From the fact that at one time he had complete authority over his workers and could thrash them at will. "Boss" comes from the Old High German word bozan which means " to beat."
Source: "Why Do We Say It? The stories behind the words, expressions and cliches that we use." By Castle Books, no author.
4 comments:
Manager is so much more appropriate these days isn't it?
I have a friend that hates it when people refer to him as "the boss," precisely because of the negative connotations.
Of course, calling yourself "manager" and still acting like "boss" doesn't really resolve anything...
Interestingly, "boss" is also jail-speak, with inmates referring to guards as boss. Quite appropriate unfortunately.
hmmm that sounds like just the kind of book i would enjoy. i will keep my eyes open for that one.
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