Thursday, November 15, 2007

773- STUFF YOU DIDN'T KNOW.. PART II

THE LAST OF A TWO PART POST OF AMAZING THINGS
How some familiar phrases we use today originated....
In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick, no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have
"the rule of thumb"
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase...
"goodnight, sleep tight."
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as "the honeymoon."
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's."
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service.
"Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
Some more:
Q and A's
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
Q. Which day are there more collect calls made on than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day.
The end of amazing things
.....GED.....

3 comments:

bigsoxfan said...

Glen, how do you get so many pictures of my family? That is my sister's oldest, way back way back when, planting a wet one on that pigs snout. After I found those pictures of my mom on ebay, I began to get suspicious, now I am more so. I have a tucker in my family, just like dog, selling out the family jewels for thirty pieces of silver.

glend558 said...

BSF: You have been isolated to long ..You are going nuts!!!

bigsoxfan said...

I would race you to see who gets to the funny farm first, but I think I've given you to much of a head start. Ha.