Talk:kith and kine

I think this is an eggcorn of kith and kin. Albeit, an old one. The word kith more generally refers to friends and acquaintances while kin refers to family ... thus kith and kin means "friends and family".

The word kine is an archaic plural of cow. So kith and kine would mean "friends and cows".

Kin and Kin would make more sense than kith and kine. Other than a play on words in a book about cows, I haven't found "kith and kine" used.

In ME English we find such spelling variations: Oþer whyle þou muste be fals a-monge kythe & kynne. ... and here kynne = kin.

So I think this is nothing more than eggcorn. --AnWulf ... Ferþu Hal! 14:21, 17 December 2011 (UTC)


 * I agree. The only sane-looking citation I find in Google Books is from 1920: "...malicious trespasser is all too willing to tear down enough signs to break the legal charm which the farmer has woven for the protection of his kith and kine". And that looks like a pun, since a farmer literally owns cows. Equinox ◑ 19:44, 23 April 2020 (UTC)