The Order of the Hare
Preserved but no longer current.
An order of twelve knights traditionally said to have been created by Edward in in France, on an occasion when he thought that a great shouting raised by the French army heralded the onset of battle, but found afterwards it was on account of a hare running between the two armies.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Order of the Hare” mean?
An order of twelve knights traditionally said to have been created by Edward in in France, on an occasion when he thought that a great shouting raised by the French army heralded the onset of battle, but found afterwards it was on account of a hare running between the two armies.
Is “The Order of the Hare” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.