Oats: “a cereal crop, or its grains, used for making cookies or a food called oatmeal, or for feeding animals.”  (Collins English dictionary.)  Once considered a wild weed, oats have been around for centuries, becoming a source of nourishment, as well as of amusement, frequently referenced in sayings, movies and songs.

Oats entered the human diet as far back as 1000 b.c. and remains a popular breakfast cereal to start the day (Oat, wikipedia,) Nourishment may be scanty, but oats contain more soluble fiber than any other grain, and when mixed with water develops a thick, viscous substance which moves slowly through the body’s digestive system, removing harmful cholesterol along the way.  Hooray!  Let’s hear it for oats.       

As a kid, I sang a song — a fun little ditty, which made no sense to me:  

— “Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.  A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you.”  (“Mairzy Doats,” written and recorded in 1943, reaching number one on the pop charts in 1944. (Mairzy Doats, Wikipedia)  Of course, as I grew older, I realized that the lines were much simpler, but not as much fun, if one did not run the words together:

— “Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy.  A kid will eat ivy too, Wouldn’t you?” 

At least three “Oats” maxims have become commonplace in the American language:  

— “Sow you’re Oats,” meaning: to have many amorous relationships, particularly when young.  (Merriam-Webster Dictionary.)  As I grew older and bolder, the phrase “Sow Your Oats,” intrigued my interest, though wishing so did not quite reach the level of sowing so.   

—“Feel your oats,”  meaning “feeling lively and energetic.” (dictionary.com)  By that definition, I felt my oats on many occasions, as is the case for most young people.      

— “Off one’s oats,” meaning: “Disinclined to eat, having little appetite (dictionary.com)  As far back as I can remember, I never experienced a loss of appetite, so I was always “on” my oats, but no one ever says that.  

Oats took on an expansive forum.  The old western movies were popularly known as oat operas, or more commonly as “oaters.”  People spent many a leisure hour watching TV “oaters,” featured favorite cowboys and bandits — sowing or feeling their oats.