>Here's some trivia to lighten your day and maybe even give you a giggle
>or two! 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. 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 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."
>************************************************* *************
> 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 term "minding your "P's
>and
>Q's."
>************************************************* *************
>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.)
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."
Will Rogers
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