Beyond The Pale

This is an interesting phrase. Everyone knows what it means, but why does it mean what it means?

First, its meaning is indisputable: everyone agrees that it refers to something that is outside the norms for civilised behaviour. From this comes the extended meaning of referring to something that is beyond normal human experience and expectation.

The word 'pale' here comes from Latin palus which means 'stake' – a long pointy piece of wood. It is from this that we get words like 'impale' (to put up on a long pointy piece of wood) and palisade (a fence-like defensive row of long pointy stakes). The other meaning of 'pale', i.e. 'less dark', actually comes from a totally different word which meant 'not so illuminated' or 'greyish' (actually, it used to mean dusky or dark, haha).

That's why some people think 'beyond the pale' means 'into the dark side of humanity'. Well, I suppose it might.