gordondaviesmoustache
Well-Known Member
Never knew that. Thanks pal. I like you."Derring-do is the standard spelling of the noun meaning daring deeds or heroic daring (used especially in reference to swashbuckling heroes).
The phrase originated in a late 14th-century Geoffrey Chaucer poem, and it has taken many forms over the years—including durring don (in Chaucer, literally meaning daring to do), dorryng do, derring doe, and derrynge do.
And given the term’s meaning and history, it is often understandably spelled daring-do. But as far as most English reference books are concerned, derring-do has been the correct spelling since Sir Walter Scott used it in Ivanhoe in 1819.
Spelling the term daring-do is not a serious error, but some readers might consider it wrong. In any case, derring-do is the most common spelling used in published writing."