The generic name âPolâ for a parrot can be traced back to England since at least the early 1600s. In his 1606 comedy Volpone , Renaissance playwrightâand close friend of William ShakespeareâBen Jonson assigned many of the characters animal personas which reflected their true nature. The cunning title character, for example, is a fox, while his parasitic manservant is a fly.
Two comic relief-type characters, Sir Politic Would-Be (âSir Polâ for short) and his wife, are visitors from England who are trying to ingratiate themselves into Venetian society, and they do so by simply mimicking the words and behavior of Volpone and his associates. Because of their endearing ignorance of what they are actually saying when they repeat phrases theyâve learned, Jonson describes them as parrots.
It is unclear whether Jonson actually coined the term âPolâ as a catch-all moniker for parrots, or if he simply popularized it. In any case, indulgent British pet owners eventually turned âPolâ into the much cutesier diminutive âPolly,â and both names made their way across the Atlantic. In fact, U.S. President Andrew Jackson had an African Grey parrot named Pol who was famous for spouting obscenities at visiting dignitaries.
Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations