Why Do We Say “Cooling One’s Heels”?
Many captivating tales begin with racehorses — real-life champions Seabiscuit and Secretariat had their legacies immortalized in film and literature. But there’s one equine anecdote that didn't make it to the silver screen: the origin of the idiom "cool your heels." It’s used today to evoke a sense of waiting
impatiently or for an extended time, but this expression originated on the racetrack, with roots tracing back to equestrian practices from several centuries ago. The idiom comes from a literal sense of cooling hooves. After a tiring ride or a nail-biting race, horses need to be cooled down to prevent...
