Maybe he should have yelled "Aft!"

Hey Matthew:

A friend of mine just lost eight teeth in a golfing accident with a buddy, which makes me wonder, why do people use the word "Fore!" when stroking the ball as a warning to those around them?

-- Paul, Clairemont

Eight teeth? The newest fad-- xtreme golfing? What next…. Golfers are so nuts, I'm sure he just brushed himself off and finished the round. Can't let a good tee time go to waste. Anyway, "fore,"according to a Scottish history of golf, could be short for "forecaddy," who was the guy who walked down the links ahead of the golfers and kept his eye on where the ball went so you didn't lose it. Forecaddy has been a dead-end-job description since the mid-1600s. Golf balls were very expensive, so it must have been cheaper to hire a guy to watch them than to buy new ones. When you were ready to whack the ball, you got the guy's attention by yelling "Fore!" There are a couple of other possible explanations, but they're even more ridiculous. This is the one the Scots seem to like, and since it's their stupid game, that's good enough for me.