the.com/lawn mower
A machine that lets you pay gas prices to lose a fight against grass every single week.
means A wheeled machine with rotating blades used to cut grass to an even height.
from Straightforward compound: 'lawn,' from Middle English 'launde' meaning an open space between woods (via Old French, possibly Celtic roots), plus 'mower,' from Old English 'mawan,' to cut grass or grain — the ancient verb behind 'mow' and 'meadow.' The machine itself is a 19th-century invention; before that, lawns were kept short by scythes or grazing animals, which is a far more honest way to lose to the grass.
- invention origin
- 1830, adapted from cloth cutting machinery
- the irony
- grass evolved to survive grazing, not mowing
- sales spike
- peaks every spring, right alongside gym memberships
- quiet rebellion
- robotic mowers now do the losing for you