Though the name [[origin]] of most chess pieces is obvious, the pawn's etymology is fairly obscure. Since chess became prevalent in [[mainstream]] [[society]], many new uses have derived from the [[word]]. "Pawn" is often taken to mean "one who is easily [[manipulated]]" or "one who is [[sacrificed]] for a larger [[purpose]]". Because the pawn is the weakest piece, it is often used [[metaphorically]] to indicate unimportance or outright disposability, for example, "He's only a pawn in their [[game]]." | Though the name [[origin]] of most chess pieces is obvious, the pawn's etymology is fairly obscure. Since chess became prevalent in [[mainstream]] [[society]], many new uses have derived from the [[word]]. "Pawn" is often taken to mean "one who is easily [[manipulated]]" or "one who is [[sacrificed]] for a larger [[purpose]]". Because the pawn is the weakest piece, it is often used [[metaphorically]] to indicate unimportance or outright disposability, for example, "He's only a pawn in their [[game]]." |