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Etymology
In George
Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or
painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk
with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms.
Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be
painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are "limbs,"
therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, "Okay,
but it'll cost you an arm and a leg."
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As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May
and October)! Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads
(because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs
made from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve
out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The
heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term "big wig." Today we
often use the term "here comes the Big Wig" because someone appears to be or is
powerful and wealthy.
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In the late 1700s,
many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long
wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The "head of the
household" always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor.
Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this
chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in
charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the "chair man." Today in
business, we use the expression or title "Chairman" or "Chairman of the Board."
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Personal hygiene left
much room for improvement. As a result, many women and men had developed acne
scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to
smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman
began to stare at another woman's face she was told, "mind your own bee's wax."
Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile."
In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt . . .
therefore, the expression "losing face."
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Ladies wore
corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and dignified woman . as in
"straight laced". . . wore a tightly tied lace.
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Common
entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when
purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the "Ace of Spades." To avoid
paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead.
Yet, since most games
require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they
weren't "playing with a full deck."
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Early politicians
required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered
important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent
their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to "go sip
some ale" and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. Many
assistants were dispatched at different times. "You go sip here" and "You go
sip there." The two words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to
the local opinion and, thus we have the term "gossip."
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At local taverns,
pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid's
job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to
pay close attention and remember who was drinking in "pints" and who was
drinking in "quarts," hence the term "minding your "P's and Q's."
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One more: bet you didn't
know this!
In the heyday of
sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those
cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply
near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The
best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top,
resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30
cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There
was only one problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or rolling
from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16
round indentations.
However, if this plate
were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the
rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys." Few landlubbers realize that brass
contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when
the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much
that the iron cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite
literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." (All this
time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you.)
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