Interesting etymologies - I leave you to decide how factual they are.
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They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were “Piss Poor”. But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot.....they “didn’t have a pot to piss in” & were the lowest of the low The 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. Here are some facts about the 1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell . ..... . Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting Married. 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 and finally the children. Last of all the 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!” 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 cats and other small animals (mice, 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. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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. The floor was 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 (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold. (Getting quite an education, aren’t you?) In those old days, 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 fo
An interesting collection. A lot of English phrases like those are based on our nautical heritage. The one that really gets on my goat*, though is "freeze the balls off a brass monkey" :mad: In the days of the King's Navee, the iron cannonballs were put in an iron triangular frame on the gun deck, to stop them rolling all over the place. This was called a 'monkey'. In very cold weather the balls would freeze to the frame, causing endless heartache to sailor boys who were trying to blow the enemy to bits, but were instead being blown to bits themselves. The Admiralty then issued brass 'monkeys', as the differential contraction rates between the iron and brass would stop the balls freezing solid in the frame. However, in really, really cold weather, they still froze, hence the the expression should be "freeze the balls on a brass monkey". * I don't actually have a goat. In fact, I have never had a goat, I am just not that way inclined, but you get my drift, I am sure. :laugh:
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They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were “Piss Poor”. But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot.....they “didn’t have a pot to piss in” & were the lowest of the low The 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. Here are some facts about the 1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell . ..... . Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting Married. 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 and finally the children. Last of all the 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!” 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 cats and other small animals (mice, 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. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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. The floor was 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 (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold. (Getting quite an education, aren’t you?) In those old days, 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 fo
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
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 cats and other small animals (mice, 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.”
Actually it comes from the Press. When Parliament had broken there was little to report so the editors filled the pages with anything they could get, often animal related (qv Skateboarding Ducks) and as the lazy reporters filed this kind of rubbish it was said to be raining Cats and Dogs.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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.
Actually they were designed so the master of the house could shag without the others knowing with whom.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
England is old and small and the local folks 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, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So 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 out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.
Oh Please... There was never a shortage of burial space. The reason for 'Saved by the Bell' is from Boxing, and the bells on coffins were a Victorian Affectation, and have Never saved anybody. Did you copy and paste this from "Bollock Ficts Passed Off As Knowledge and Debunked Regularly on QI.Com"?
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[
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An interesting collection. A lot of English phrases like those are based on our nautical heritage. The one that really gets on my goat*, though is "freeze the balls off a brass monkey" :mad: In the days of the King's Navee, the iron cannonballs were put in an iron triangular frame on the gun deck, to stop them rolling all over the place. This was called a 'monkey'. In very cold weather the balls would freeze to the frame, causing endless heartache to sailor boys who were trying to blow the enemy to bits, but were instead being blown to bits themselves. The Admiralty then issued brass 'monkeys', as the differential contraction rates between the iron and brass would stop the balls freezing solid in the frame. However, in really, really cold weather, they still froze, hence the the expression should be "freeze the balls on a brass monkey". * I don't actually have a goat. In fact, I have never had a goat, I am just not that way inclined, but you get my drift, I am sure. :laugh:
The term is "Gets my Goat" not Gets on my Goat". A horse is a nervous creature, and so to calm it, a goat is often introduced to a stable as a companion to calm the horse. If someone takes the goat away the horse gets upset. Thus "He gets my goat" means he upsets me.
Chris C-B wrote:
In the days of the King's Navee, the iron cannonballs were put in an iron triangular frame on the gun deck, to stop them rolling all over the place. This was called a 'monkey'. In very cold weather the balls would freeze to the frame, causing endless heartache to sailor boys who were trying to blow the enemy to bits, but were instead being blown to bits themselves. The Admiralty then issued brass 'monkeys', as the differential contraction rates between the iron and brass would stop the balls freezing solid in the frame. However, in really, really cold weather, they still froze, hence the the expression should be "freeze the balls on a brass monkey".
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[^]
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
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 cats and other small animals (mice, 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.”
Actually it comes from the Press. When Parliament had broken there was little to report so the editors filled the pages with anything they could get, often animal related (qv Skateboarding Ducks) and as the lazy reporters filed this kind of rubbish it was said to be raining Cats and Dogs.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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.
Actually they were designed so the master of the house could shag without the others knowing with whom.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
England is old and small and the local folks 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, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So 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 out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.
Oh Please... There was never a shortage of burial space. The reason for 'Saved by the Bell' is from Boxing, and the bells on coffins were a Victorian Affectation, and have Never saved anybody. Did you copy and paste this from "Bollock Ficts Passed Off As Knowledge and Debunked Regularly on QI.Com"?
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[
And the tomatoes thing is nonsense. The lag time between eating a leaded tomato and actually dying from it is so long, no one would make the connection. Anyway, tomatoes are in the nightshade family and they most likely *were* poisonous awhile back. Evolution in action.
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The term is "Gets my Goat" not Gets on my Goat". A horse is a nervous creature, and so to calm it, a goat is often introduced to a stable as a companion to calm the horse. If someone takes the goat away the horse gets upset. Thus "He gets my goat" means he upsets me.
Chris C-B wrote:
In the days of the King's Navee, the iron cannonballs were put in an iron triangular frame on the gun deck, to stop them rolling all over the place. This was called a 'monkey'. In very cold weather the balls would freeze to the frame, causing endless heartache to sailor boys who were trying to blow the enemy to bits, but were instead being blown to bits themselves. The Admiralty then issued brass 'monkeys', as the differential contraction rates between the iron and brass would stop the balls freezing solid in the frame. However, in really, really cold weather, they still froze, hence the the expression should be "freeze the balls on a brass monkey".
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[^]
Dalek Dave wrote:
The term is "Gets my Goat" not Gets on my Goat".
Agreed - originally I used the word 't!ts', but thought it a little unseemly outside the back room.
Dalek Dave wrote:
Bollocks[^]
Interesting. I got my definition from A Manual Of Yacht And Boat Sailing by Dixon Kemp, of which I have a rather rare last edition dated 1913, presented to my grandfather when he left Dartmouth in that year, to join the navy proper (he was a gunnery officer on HMS Dreadnought in the first world war). Of course, Dixon Kemp did not have the benefit of Wikipedia to check his facts. :)
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
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 cats and other small animals (mice, 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.”
Actually it comes from the Press. When Parliament had broken there was little to report so the editors filled the pages with anything they could get, often animal related (qv Skateboarding Ducks) and as the lazy reporters filed this kind of rubbish it was said to be raining Cats and Dogs.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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.
Actually they were designed so the master of the house could shag without the others knowing with whom.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
England is old and small and the local folks 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, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So 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 out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.
Oh Please... There was never a shortage of burial space. The reason for 'Saved by the Bell' is from Boxing, and the bells on coffins were a Victorian Affectation, and have Never saved anybody. Did you copy and paste this from "Bollock Ficts Passed Off As Knowledge and Debunked Regularly on QI.Com"?
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[
Dalek Dave wrote:
Did you copy and paste this from "Bollock Ficts Passed Off As Knowledge and Debunked Regularly on QI.Com"?
No - they were an amusing email, hence my tagline about others deciding their fact content. I thought that would be enough of a hint to people with half a brain that they were a bit suspect - even though they are amusing.
I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
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An interesting collection. A lot of English phrases like those are based on our nautical heritage. The one that really gets on my goat*, though is "freeze the balls off a brass monkey" :mad: In the days of the King's Navee, the iron cannonballs were put in an iron triangular frame on the gun deck, to stop them rolling all over the place. This was called a 'monkey'. In very cold weather the balls would freeze to the frame, causing endless heartache to sailor boys who were trying to blow the enemy to bits, but were instead being blown to bits themselves. The Admiralty then issued brass 'monkeys', as the differential contraction rates between the iron and brass would stop the balls freezing solid in the frame. However, in really, really cold weather, they still froze, hence the the expression should be "freeze the balls on a brass monkey". * I don't actually have a goat. In fact, I have never had a goat, I am just not that way inclined, but you get my drift, I am sure. :laugh:
I heard it as the differential contraction made the brass monkey shrink more than the balls and the balls would fall off. I never bothered to look up the coefficients of expansion for iron and brass and do any calculations though. :|
Once you agree to clans, tribes, governments...you've opted for socialism. The rest is just details.
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An interesting collection. A lot of English phrases like those are based on our nautical heritage. The one that really gets on my goat*, though is "freeze the balls off a brass monkey" :mad: In the days of the King's Navee, the iron cannonballs were put in an iron triangular frame on the gun deck, to stop them rolling all over the place. This was called a 'monkey'. In very cold weather the balls would freeze to the frame, causing endless heartache to sailor boys who were trying to blow the enemy to bits, but were instead being blown to bits themselves. The Admiralty then issued brass 'monkeys', as the differential contraction rates between the iron and brass would stop the balls freezing solid in the frame. However, in really, really cold weather, they still froze, hence the the expression should be "freeze the balls on a brass monkey". * I don't actually have a goat. In fact, I have never had a goat, I am just not that way inclined, but you get my drift, I am sure. :laugh:
The one that gets my goat (which I do not have either, regardless of my sig) is "There's no smoke without fire" often used by people trying to present rumour as fact. For a start there are many ways of creating smoke without a fire, and secondly the correct phrase is "There's no fire without some smoke" which means that you cannot do something without some sort of observable consequence.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
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 cats and other small animals (mice, 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.”
Actually it comes from the Press. When Parliament had broken there was little to report so the editors filled the pages with anything they could get, often animal related (qv Skateboarding Ducks) and as the lazy reporters filed this kind of rubbish it was said to be raining Cats and Dogs.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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.
Actually they were designed so the master of the house could shag without the others knowing with whom.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
England is old and small and the local folks 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, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So 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 out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.
Oh Please... There was never a shortage of burial space. The reason for 'Saved by the Bell' is from Boxing, and the bells on coffins were a Victorian Affectation, and have Never saved anybody. Did you copy and paste this from "Bollock Ficts Passed Off As Knowledge and Debunked Regularly on QI.Com"?
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[
Dalek Dave wrote:
Pete O'Hanlon wrote: There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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. Actually they were designed so the master of the house could shag without the others knowing with whom.
Old houses were very draughty. I suspect that keeping the draughts out and the sleepers warm was the primary objective for having curtains around the beds, and that keeping out prying eyes was a lucky side-effect.
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They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were “Piss Poor”. But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot.....they “didn’t have a pot to piss in” & were the lowest of the low The 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. Here are some facts about the 1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell . ..... . Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting Married. 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 and finally the children. Last of all the 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!” 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 cats and other small animals (mice, 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. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could 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. The floor was 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 (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold. (Getting quite an education, aren’t you?) In those old days, 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 fo
Tomatoes were regarded as poisonous and potatoes as well. But i doubt that was because someone died of lead poisoning. It might more have to do with the fact that both plants are of the nightshade family, well known to be poisonous.
A while ago he asked me what he should have printed on my business cards. I said 'Wizard'. I read books which nobody else understand. Then I do something which nobody understands. After that the computer does something which nobody understands. When asked, I say things about the results which nobody understand. But everybody expects miracles from me on a regular basis. Looks to me like the classical definition of a wizard.