RISC OS has a great future behind it

Golfers shout fore to the people in front of them. Your fore head is in front. But be fore means earlier in time. We tend to think of the future as in front of us and the past as behind. Yet our own language (and ancient languages too) suggest that at some point people thought of the future as behind (where we cannot see it) and the past as in front. The future overtakes us and becomes visible – is that not a more apt metaphor to translate time into space?

Latin’s word for before, ante, sounds almost the same as Greek’s anti , meaning opposite or confronting. Both words I would guess to be related to Hittite hantis , forehead. The adjective hantezzis means leading, or in front. The hantezziyes were the aristocracy. In Luwian,the hantawatis was the king.

So when a retiring politician is told that he has a great past ahead of him, is this a quip or a literal remark?