1) 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."
2) 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.
3) 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."
4) 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."
5) Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up
in the front. A proper and dignified woman, as in "straight laced," wore a
tightly tied lace.
6) 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".
7) 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."
9) 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?)
