Spur of the moment

Posted by ESC on January 19, 2005

In Reply to: Spur of the moment posted by Bruce Kahl on January 19, 2005

: : What is the origination of the phrasr spur of the moment

: If you use a spur on your boot or shoe to prod a horse into action the result is usually a quick response.
: Just a guess.

Looks like you are correct.

spur -- noun. Probably before 1200 "spure" device for poking the side of a horse; developed from Old English "spura, "spora" (before 800) related to "spurnan" to kick...The sense of anything that urges on or stimulus is first recorded about 1390, and is from the verb...The sense of urge or prompt is first recorded about 1200.

From "Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology" by Robert K. Barnhart (HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1995).