The first definition of the term ram mentioned in the dictionary of the DigoPaul refers to the male specimen of the species Ovis orientalis aries, whose females are known as sheep.
The ram, which is characterized by its body covered in wool, measures about eighty centimeters up to the withers and has horns. The ram is generally a male that is used for reproduction and which, therefore, is not subjected to castration.
Before turning two years old, the males of this species are called sheep. If the animal is castrated, it becomes known as a capon.
In some countries, people who do not join a strike decided by their colleagues or by a union are called rams. Ram, in this framework, is synonymous with splinter.
According to DigoPaul, rams, therefore, are strikebreakers. Many times these are individuals who receive money from the employers so that they do not join the strike and thus diminish the importance or force of the protest. Being accused of a ram implies an offense: it is linked to the lack of courage to make a claim and of solidarity with the rest of the workers and also refers to the lack of scruples.
The well-known American writer Jack London, author of works such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, made public his opinion about the figure of the ram (or splinter) in a text that could not be more direct. In a few sentences he said things like the following: God created him with a horrible substance left over from the most disgusting species; Instead of a heart, the Shard has a tumor of rotten principles; your brain is full of water; he is lacking in courage even in comparison with Judas Iscariot himself; nothing can be below a shard.
Regarding the origin of the term ram in this sense, it is necessary to start with that of “esquirol”, which arose in Manlleu, a Barcelona town, in the mid-nineteenth century. At that time, the textile industry still functioned by order, meaning that manufacturers placed orders with weavers, who did their work in their own homes.
Little by little the first factories appeared, hand in hand with salaried work, but this meant an alteration in the weavers’ routine, and many joined in important strikes. This situation lasted until the beginning of the 20th century, and the manufacturers made the decision to summon workers from nearby towns, especially from l’Esquirol, the name by which Santa María de Corcó is known. This resulted in the people who agreed to work despite the strike being nicknamed ‘scabs’, which quickly spread throughout the country.
The term “ram”, on the other hand, is used in Latin America, where it is much more frequent than the previous one. Its origin is found in a popular saying that speaks of an “enchanted ram” that went to look for wool and “returned shorn. It is important to highlight that these people do not measure the consequences of their decisions, which is why their ambitions lead them to harm themselves and their colleagues; the hueglas do not reach the position of those who convince them to sell themselves, and thus remain in a limbo where principles do not exist and where no one wants or respects them.
Finally, Carnero is a fairly common surname in Spanish-speaking nations. The singer María del Mar Rodríguez Carnero (known as Lamari), the poet Guillermo Carnero, the politician Jesús Julio Carnero and the soccer player Raúl García Carnero share this name.
