old-fieldcolt

old-field colt n. Virginia

A child born out of wedlock.Also called regionally catch colt, woods colt.

  [From the unsupervised breeding of horses in unfrequented fields.]  

Regional Note: Old-field colt is one of several old-fashioned regional euphemisms for a child born out of wedlock. The term is native to the Virginia Piedmont. Old-field is the Southern term for an overcultivated field allowed to lie fallow. Being isolated and usually undisturbed, these fields provided a place for unplanned breeding of horses and, figuratively, of children. The term is sometimes shortened to field colt. A related Southern expression is woods colt. The Western U.S. equivalent is catch colt.

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