Stoolpigeon...where's that term come from?

[enfieldspares]

So my friend and I were talking about someone being a "stoolpigeon" for the police or other authorities. But couldn't really "get" why the word came about. In fact it comes from shooting, is illegal here but lawful still in France (Decathlon "palette au sol pigeon") and here's a video. Everyday a schoolday and I'll be sending him the video.

 

[User00056]

Well, you learn something new everyday! Cheers for that

 

[WalkedUp]

I’ll dig out a post I sent on PigeonWatch a few years ago in this subject. Decathlon’s website translator joined looking for the British term. I replied but also warned them it would be illegal in the UK. The advice was ignored. Eventually a PR storm erupted and Decathlon withdrew their fieldsports products from the UK market.

 

[WalkedUp]

https://pigeonwatch.co.uk/topic/416120-decathlon-has-gone-anti/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

[WalkedUp]

https://pigeonwatch.co.uk/topic/401051-what-is-the-correct-term-for-this/#comments

 

[Tim.243]

I remember the traffic being diverted with R2 taking over the Park on the way to my Fallow ground lol

 

[Buchan]

So my friend and I were talking about someone being a "stoolpigeon" for the police or other authorities. But couldn't really "get" why the word came about. In fact it comes from shooting, is illegal here but lawful still in France (Decathlon "palette au sol pigeon") and here's a video. Everyday a schoolday and I'll be sending him the video.

That's appalling.

 

[enfieldspares]

Looking back what's strange is I'd commented on the Pigeonwatch thread yet never connected that a tethered decoy was in fact what the word "stoolpigeon" was describing. So only saw the connection two days ago when I searched "stoolpigeon" on Google, read the AI response, and thought to myself "Well I never know that before!" I'd the idea of it being someone sat on a stool inside a prison cell eavesdropping (now I do know where that word comes from) on the conversation of those inside the cell adjacent to theirs.

 

[Tim.243]

That's appalling.

so is going around shooting black birds thrushes sky larks in fact anything that moved clipping them on your special carrier then making a traditional dish from what ever European county you came from. I watched it here in Essex as a kid, a long barrelled auto a pointer and often a Merc estate was their std wagon

 

[WalkedUp]

Looking back what's strange is I'd commented on the Pigeonwatch thread yet never connected that a tethered decoy was in fact what the word "stoolpigeon" was describing. So only saw the connection two days ago when I searched "stoolpigeon" on Google, read the AI response, and thought to myself "Well I never know that before!" I'd the idea of it being someone sat on a stool inside a prison cell eavesdropping (now I do know where that word comes from) on the conversation of those inside the cell adjacent to theirs.

Yes, the conversation never quite touched upon the pigeon itself and so delayed the neural connection of these different elements. We concentrated upon the contraption, or pigeon-botherer if you will, rather than the still pigeon itself. When I was a young boy I read The Pigeon Shooter by John Batley. From memory a third of the book was devoted to the French and their stool pigeons, I felt it was to bulk out the pages. I loved that book and the illustrations.

 

[Buchan]

so is going around shooting black birds thrushes sky larks in fact anything that moved clipping them on your special carrier then making a traditional dish from what ever European county you came from. I watched it here in Essex as a kid, a long barrelled auto a pointer and often a Merc estate was their std wagon

Sadly yes.