#1154 Mountain Cougar

Never has a word got so quickly into the English language. I’m talking about that word we seem to hear nothing but these days. Cougar.
And I’m not talking the animal. Or maybe I am. I’m talking about the term cougar as used to describe older women on the prowl for younger men. No doubt its use became popular so quickly because there was a gap in our language just waiting to be filled.
A similar niche had been occupied by older men on the prowl for younger women. And like most ecological niches, it was well filled by a variety of evolved terms—lounge lizard, old wolf, lothario, sugar daddy, and the precisely descriptive dirty old man.
So it’s obvious the other side of the spectrum needed its own word. And it seemed to happen overnight. There is even a TV show dedicated to the phenomenon, “Cougar Town” starring none other than Springsteen groupie extra and ex-Friend Courteney Cox.
Unfortunately,“cougar” was a word already well established in use. So now every time I hear the term I get a dual meaning thing happening, especially here in the northwest, where we have the rich football heritage of the Washington State Cougars.
Put aside for a moment the whole notion of a bunch of cougars running on to the field. It’s the Apple Cup I’m worried about. Now when we hear about the Husky Cougar game it’s hard not to think some of the prowling women having a few extra pounds too.
And the other day I picked up a sample cookie from a company called Cougar Mountain. As I had just been to an Elks Lodge and they had a number or animals mounted on the wall, my thought immediately went from Cougar Mountain to Mounted Cougar, which immediately sent me in a taxidermy direction vis-à-vis the aforementioned cougar confusion.
I suppose Cougar Mountain is a place not unlike TV’s Cougar Town. And it shouldn’t be any different than Valley Cougars but the concept of Mountain Cougars seems more dangerous.
I’m just worried about Washington State University. Of whom will people think the Cougar Alumni association is composed? And am I going to be comfortable going to a Cougar fundraiser?
America, ya gotta love it.