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Did you know?
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 for
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".
*********************************************************************
Ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front. A tightly tied lace
was
worn by a proper and dignified lady as in "straight laced."
************************************************************
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 tavern! s, 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 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 for
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".
*********************************************************************
Ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front. A tightly tied lace
was
worn by a proper and dignified lady as in "straight laced."
************************************************************
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 tavern! s, 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".
************************************************************
