Why is a QUIVER caller a QUIVER ?

[Roduk]

Clue: Early chemical warfare.

The first correctly explained answer will recieve a custom made Angel Majesty recurve string to their own specification and choice of colour.

for the love of flickin' little sticks

Rod

[napolienne]

quivre (in old French) -> cuivre, modern french for copper/brass, I think. Or I may be on entirely the wrong track. Could just be a derivation of cocur (old english for cover?)

[Jerry Tee]

Because when its empty your knees quiver and you RUN AWAY>

[clickerati]

anything to do with flint arrowheads?

[Middle English quiveren, perhaps from quiver, nimble (from Old English cwifer)

quiver is the name for a group of cobras.

and a quiver diagram can be used to illustrate string theory in physics.

[pHz]

thinking about the chemical warfare clue

didnt (dont) a lot of 'primitive' archers (ie - south american indians and the like) carry a pool of poison in the bottom of their quiver so that the arrow tips dont dry out and are always ready coated in poison ?

how you get from that to quiver i dont know though (a copper lining to the base of the quiver to hold the poison ? )

slainte : rob

[Quadratus]

I can't quote references at the moment, but as far as I know, "quiver" is simply an evolution via Old French of a very old word, probably Hunnish in origin, now lost but reconstructed as *cwocur, which also gave rise to the closely related Mongolian, Old German and Latin words.

Hope your definition is more amusing....

[Roduk]

Very warm some of you .........

Why ? is a quiver called a quiver ?

Full and correct explaination wins the prize !

Rod

[Gavster]

A quiver is also the name for a group of cobras. Don't fancy keeping my arrows in there though

[BowSurfer]

as one of the meanings of quiver is quick or rapid, presumably a quiver is a means of rapid access to the arrows.

[MrM]

Its a rhyme isn't it?

Paul and Heather on the river bank,
His heart was all a-quiver
He put his hand upon her thigh,
And her leg fell in the river