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."
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. The wigs couldn't be washed, so to clean them they could 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 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board was folded down from the wall and used or dining. The "head of the household" always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Once in a while, a guest (who was almost always 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. Sitting in the chair, one was called the "chair man." Today in business we use the expression or title "Chairman" or "Chairman of the Board."
Needless to say, 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." Also, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt and therefore the expression "losing face."
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 was considered important to the people. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars who 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 term "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, but 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. But,if this plate were made of iron, the ironballs 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." (And all this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you?)
You must send this fabulous bit of historic knowledge to at least ten unsuspecting friends. If you don't, your floppy is going to fall off your hard drive and kill your mouse.
<>
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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Neil, One could also purchase the services of the town doxy for half a loaf of stale bread. Remember what you stated above about infrequent bathing habits....is this where the term "yeast infection" came about? Hmmmm. Love...Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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Is that all you guys have to do in NF is to look up stuff like this?
Just Kidding Neil. Thanks for the info. It is interesting to see how things come about from years ago. Some other interesting stuff is to look up old laws that are still on the books from years ago. They will make you wonder why they had to write certain laws.
The debate rages as to where this one came from....
According to some, the length of the ammunition belt (feeding the machine guns) in the Supermarine Spitfire was nine yards. Therefore, when a pilot had shot all his ammunition he would say he had 'shot the whole nine yards'." _______________________________________________
Coal trucks in New England originally had three sections that contained three cubic yards of coal apiece. If you anticipated a bitterly cold winter, naturally you asked for the whole nine yards. _______________________________________________
Another theory is in olden days, any bride who really wanted to impress the neighbors (and whose father could foot the bill) simply had to have a veil nine yards in length. Hence, the phrase originally applied to fancy, blowout weddings--"the whole nine yards." Lady Di's train was 25 feet long. Allowing a couple extra feet for the veil (which attaches to the head, as opposed to the train, which attaches to the waist), we come up with nine yards. ________________________________________________
Some people believe it refers to the last thing a person used to receive in this world. It is the amount of cloth an old-fashioned undertaker used to make a funeral shroud. ________________________________________________
Another take on the idea... Embedded in the counter of old time general stores were small brass nails, three feet apart, which were used to measure yards of material, which usually came in bolts of nine yards. If you needed only a few yards of material, you would "get down to brass tacks" and buy the desired amount. If, however, you needed a large quantity of fabric, then you would just say give me "the whole nine yards." _______________________________________________
...and for all us Letterheads...
The most common rule in racing pertains to how the numbers on the car are to be done. Typically, the 2 doors have to be 18 inches in height. Although many tracks require only 18 inch numbers on the roof, Nascar requires 30 inch numbers and, commonly, larger roof numbers are done on many short track cars.
You guessed it.... The average race car gets "the whole nine yards" of paint or vinyl for the numbers.
Who knew? Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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Ha HA I agree with Mark, this is all probably pure Crap..
How about "Basket Case"
I read somewhere that during one of the wars that when a soldier was severely wounded and he lost his legs or arms or both, that the unfortunate soldier would have to be carried in a Basket...
Hence the saying.. "He's a basket case". and no, this one was'nt meant to be funny.
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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Neil! Those were very interesting!! . . . .I remembered about the "arm & leg" thing from an historical art book I read, but I had never heard of the others! I did have to e-mail to a few people!!
Ray, . . .I have always heard the "...whole 9 yards" thing came from fabric bolts, 'cause was all they used to hold....I never heard all those other ideas . . . .stuff to ponder......
Great lunch time reading folks
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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I seriously question the "brass monkey" bit. Anyone who works around seagoing vessels knows not to put dissimilar metals (brass and iron) into contact with one another for any length of time. The salt air acts as a conductor, and the resulting electrolysis will corrode metal far more quickly than otherwise.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Gosh Neil, just be glad you didn't mention hockey and open that can of worms. By the way where did can of worms come from? Oh yeah, Bolts in five over the Habs.
-------------------- Dennis Goddard
Gibsonton Fl Posts: 1050 | From: Tampa Fl USA | Registered: Apr 2000
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