Origins of English Phrases
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:28 am
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 still smelled pretty good by June. However, they
>>were
>> starting to smell, so 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
>> entranceway. Hence the saying 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 for dinner, leaving
>>leftovers in
>> the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next
>>day.
>> Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a
>>while.
>> Hence the rhyme, peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas
>> porridge in the pot nine days old...
>>
>> Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite
>> special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their
>>bacon to
>> show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home
>>the
>> bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and
>>would
>> all sit around and chew the fat.
>>
>> Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid
>> content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing
>>lead
>> poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for
>>the
>> next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
>>
>> Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt
>>bottom
>> of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top,
>>or
>> the upper crust.
>>
>> Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination
>>would
>> sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone
>> walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare
>>them for
>> burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of
>>days
>> and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait
>>and
>> see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
>>
>> 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...
>>
>> And that's the truth... Now, whoever said History was boring ! !
>>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 still smelled pretty good by June. However, they
>>were
>> starting to smell, so 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
>> entranceway. Hence the saying 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 for dinner, leaving
>>leftovers in
>> the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next
>>day.
>> Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a
>>while.
>> Hence the rhyme, peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas
>> porridge in the pot nine days old...
>>
>> Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite
>> special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their
>>bacon to
>> show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home
>>the
>> bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and
>>would
>> all sit around and chew the fat.
>>
>> Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid
>> content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing
>>lead
>> poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for
>>the
>> next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
>>
>> Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt
>>bottom
>> of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top,
>>or
>> the upper crust.
>>
>> Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination
>>would
>> sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone
>> walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare
>>them for
>> burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of
>>days
>> and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait
>>and
>> see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
>>
>> 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...
>>
>> And that's the truth... Now, whoever said History was boring ! !