Tony Terry, director of publicity, Churchill Downs: No clue. Could it be because they jockey for position? Sounds pretty cart there, Tony, for a horse man.

Tom Gilcoyne, historian, National Museum of Racing: "Jock" is an old Scottish term for a young lad or small boy. Aye. Jockeys are small and start young. It’s just a guess, but who’s gonna call you wrong? Not me, pal.

Owen Byrne, assistant PR officer, The Jockey Club, London: Is this The Jockey Club of England? It’s just The Jockey Club. How do you distinguish yourself from other jockey clubs? All the others came after us, so we don’t care. Right-o. The Club started in 1752 as a social gathering of persons of high regard on the turf. The term "jockey" was defined as "one who manages, cares for or has to do with horses." So they were all jockeys? Right-o.

Jim Rader, etymologist, Merriam-Webster, Inc.: The OED has it in 1643 as, "one who drives or rides a horse." But there are several other usages that apply to anyone associated with horses. Why is it just riders now? The word is more than 300 years old, so the evidence about the development of its usage is fragmentary, and therefore conjectural. So nobody knows. The word comes from the name Jock, a parallel to Jack, used chiefly in Scotland. It was genericized to mean a male person. Or parts thereof. Uh-huh. What about jockey shorts?

John Cronce, corporate historian, Jockey International: We introduced the product in 1934. The name was meant to explain what the product did -- provide masculine support -- a feature then found only in jock straps. Of course, now you might ask why they’re called jock straps. You know, John, I just might …

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If you have questions for Answer Guy, e-mail him at answer.guy@espnmag.com. This article appears in the May 13 issue of ESPN The Magazine.