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up vote 19 down vote favorite

I get the little, the red and the hood... but how does the riding fit in there?

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2 Answers

up vote 19 down vote accepted

Here is a definition of a riding hood from Webster's Dictionary:

Riding hood. (a) A hood formerly worn by women when riding. (b) A kind of cloak with a hood.

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OK thanks! I wouldn't have guessed there is somethink like a "riding hood" – Melken Osterhose May 1 '11 at 15:02
1  
Yeah, they are most likely obsolete (though I'm not an expert on the history of clothing), at least in terms of being needed for riding/travel. – gbutters May 1 '11 at 15:50
Riding fits in the name because she is wearing the formal hooded cloak that a woman rider would wear back in those days. – user25057 Aug 19 '12 at 6:48
up vote 8 down vote

The original German title of the fairy tale, "Rotkaeppchen", has no connotations with riding gear. This only got in when it was translated into English. The literal translation of the fairy tale title would be "Little red hat" (or cap).

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protected by RegDwighт♦ Aug 19 '12 at 10:22

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