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Thread: Origins of Famous Sayings, Fascinating Stuff!

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    Origins of Famous Sayings, Fascinating Stuff!

    Did you know the saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise" was in
    reference to the Creek Indians and not a body of water? It was written
    by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. He was a politician and
    Indian diplomat. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the
    President of the U.S. to return to Washington . In his response, he
    was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Because he
    capitalized the word "Creek" it is deduced that he was referring to
    the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water.

    *********************************
    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.' (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult
    to paint)

    ******************************
    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.

    *********************************
    In the late 1700's, 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.'

    *********************************
    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.'

    *********************************
    Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and
    dignified woman, as in 'straight laced' wore a tightly tied lace..

    *********************************
    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..'

    ********************************
    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.'

    **********************************
    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 phrase 'minding your 'P's and Q's'.
    **********************************
    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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    Interesting but you may need to check your FACTS with SNOPES first The one I checked on Snopes was listed as FALSE the Monkey Balls One.
    snopes.com: Brass Monkeys
    Still good humorous reading though.
    Tazz

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