Sooler

[Andrew P]

I'm currently reading a novel called 'Disturbing Element'. It's written by Xavier Herbert, an Australian author who grew up in Fremantle during WW1.

He mentions that after his brother & father went off to the war his mum started sending white feathers to men who had not enlisted. He described how she became a 'sooler', i.e. a person who sends white feathers.

Does anyone know if this was a common saying throughout the British Empire, or perhaps just a localised idiom?

Cheers

Andrew

[Mark Hansen]

...He mentions that after his brother & father went off to the war his mum started sending white feathers to men who had not enlisted. He described how she became a 'sooler', i.e. a person who sends white feathers.

Does anyone know if this was a common saying throughout the British Empire, or perhaps just a localised idiom?

Cheers

Andrew

If you sool a dog on to someone, you are getting your dog to attack them. I haven't heard it being used much lately, and it was starting to fall out of favour when I was growing up, but it would have been reasonably common a generation or two ago.

Never heard of anyone being called a sooler before but the sense of someone on the attack sounds right.

[Andrew P]

Thanks for your response Mark.