Pronounced with hard G's Ghin-Ger, it
inevitably refers to someone with
red hair. Apart from the various names, usually involving
carrots,
volcanoes,
fire,
matches,
Ginger Nuts (both the
biscuits and the
anatomical references), having red hair can cause other problems.
- Easily identifiable:
Not many people have red hair, and it stands out like a sore thumb. Therefore, doing anything that might be frowned upon is a Bad Idea - you're going to be caught red-headed.
- Sunburn and Skin Cancer:
People with red hair are usually very pale with freckles. This means that sunburn is a real danger - I used to get sunburn every year despite taking all the relevent precautions. It's well known that sunburn is a sign that your skin is getting damaged in the same way that skin cancer is caused.
- Bad Temper:
It's not really a myth that red-headed people are a little fiery. Whilst most of us can deal with our temper most of the time, don't push us.
- Fainting:
When we were given a lecture about giving blood, we were told that, through purely anecdotal evidence (although from someone who has managed blood donations for many years), that redheads have a tendency to pass out. I then felt the combined pressure of over three hundred eyeballs pressing down on the back of my neck.
- Getting Caught:
"You can run, but you can't hide". An accurate quotation for someone who is ginger. It's not so much the fact that it's so bright, it's just that it's rare (about 5% of the population - less if you aren't in Ireland.). So they see two dark shadowy figures running away for a prank, and one of them has red hair. Guess who that is!