Just a few minutes ago, I was asked a very interesting question: Where did the phrase “raring (or rarin’) to go” come from? I was stumped. Is raring even a verb? What does it mean? Here are some of the things I found out, using The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms and the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Definition: full of enthusiasm or eagerness <ready and raring to go>; impatient.
Origin: Raring is an alternate form of the word rearing. In this case, the idiom is related to a horse “rearing up” on its hind legs when it is afraid or excited and is ready to run off.
Examples:
· He’s been raring to go to summer camp since the last day of school.
· Keesha and Mitchell have been raring to get to work on their science project.
· Our pony, Jebediah, whinnied and stood on his hind legs, raring to go for a long ride.
Kara Church
Senior Technical Editor
Editor's Corner 
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