England is old and small and in the 1500's they started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit in the gaveyard all night ("the graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, some could be "saved by the bell" and others could be considered "dead ringers."
Where Did That Phrase Come From Anyway ?
Many centuries ago, houses had thatched roofs - thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, rats and bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained, it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof -hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs." There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house and this posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice, clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
Where Did That Phrase Come From Anyway ?
Next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be in the 1500's: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. They began to "smell" again by June, so brides carried a bouguet of flowers to mask the body odor. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women - next, the children - last of all, babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it - hence the saying, "Don't Throw The Baby Out With The Bath Water."
Where Did That Phrase Come From Anyway ?
In the 1500's most floors were dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entryway; hence, a "thresh hold." They cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while-hence the rhyme, "pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot nine days old."
Where Did That Phrase Come From Anyway ?
The phrase "the whole nine yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measure exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it was "The whole nine yards."
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. That's where the phrase, "goodnight, sleep tight" came from.
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" or what 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 to mind their own 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. Then they needed refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle," is the phrase inspired by this practice.
In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden....and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
Back in the 16th century, English farmers began to put their own identifying marks on the ears of their cattle and sheep to prevent them from being stolen. This didn't always work, and thieves who were caught were themselves "earmarked" by having their ears slit!
To pull out all the stops: This idiom comes from the church organist, who produces the loudest sound by pulling out all the stops, which control the flow of air.
Nest egg: This expression relates to the old custom of putting pottery eggs in a hen's nest to induce her to lay her eggs there.
Ballpark figure: This expression comes from American baseball - "ballparks" being baseball stadiums. The phrase probably comes from the 1962 coinage of - "in the ballpark" - for "something that is within bounds, negotiable, not out of reach"; "out of the ballpark" means just the opposite.
To land on your feet: This phrase comes from the idea that the cat always falls on its feet unharmed.
Pot luck: In the Middle Ages dinners came from big pots into which leftovers were thrown each day. When visitors were invited to "take pot luck," it really was a matter of luck what was in the pot! Nowadays when people are invited to a "pot luck dinner or supper" each person takes a different dish and everyone shares.
Scot free: This term has no connection with Scotsmen. A "scot" or "sceot" was a tax in 12th century England and anyone who "got off scot free" did not have to pay anything.
You can bet your bottom dollar: Originating out West around 1850, these words refer to the last silver dollar in a stack of coins on a poker table, which the confident player would bet.
