The English word clown is first recorded c. 1560 (as clowne, cloyne) in the generic meaning rustic, boor, peasant. The origin of the word is uncertain, perhaps from a Scandinavian word cognate with clumsy. It is in this sense that Clown is used as the name of fool characters in Shakespeare's Othello and The Winter's Tale.
Fast for eight to 12 hours before you have your first blood taken. The glucose tolerance test includes a blood draw before you drink a sugary liquid, and an hour after that as well. If you're doing a three-hour glucose tolerance test, then it's one blood draw every hour for three hours. Select your first meal after the fast carefully.
There are some tests that require people to fast. If you're having a fasting test, you'll be asked to stop eating and drinking 8 to 10 hours before the test. People wonder if they should take their diabetes medicine, or if they should change the dose, when they're getting this kind of test.