This is a gift idea for that neighbor.....you know the one that is "Odd"
or "Just ain't right"
Ever wonder where some of those old sayings come from? I saw this while surfing the internet. The pics are compliments of "Google".
A SHOT OF WHISKEY:
In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost
12 cents. So did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he
would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink.
This became known as a 'shot' of whiskey.
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS:
American fighter planes in WWII had machine guns that
were fed by a belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were
27 feet (9 yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said
to have given it the whole nine yards.
BUYING THE FARM:
This is synonymous with dying. During WWI soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000.
This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.
IRON CLAD CONTRACT:
This came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War. It meant something so strong it could not be broken.
PASSING THE BUCK/THE BUCK STOPS HERE:
Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by
the Buck knife company. When playing poker it as common to place one of
these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he
was. When it was time for a new dealer the deck of cards and the knife
were given to the new dealer. If this person didn't want to deal he
would "pass the buck" to the next player. If that player accepted then
"the buck stopped there".
RIFF RAFF:
The Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from
north to south. Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were
expensive so most people used rafts. Everything had the right of way
over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on the rafts
was called a "riff" and this transposed into riff-raff, meaning low
class.
COBWEB:
The Old English word for "spider" was "cob".
SHIP STATE ROOMS:
Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of
comfort. Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered. Instead they
were named after states. To this day cabins on ships are called
staterooms.
SHOWBOAT:
These were floating theatres built on a barge that was
pushed by a steamboat. These played small town along the Mississippi
River. Unlike the boat shown in the movie "Showboat" these did not have
an engine. They were gaudy and attention grabbing which is why we say
someone who is being the life of the party is "showboating".
OVER A BARREL:
In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed
face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in
an effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective. If you
are over a barrel you are in deep trouble.
BARGE IN:
Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large
barges pushed by steamboats. These were hard to control and would
sometimes swing into piers or other boats. People would say they
"barged in".
HOGWASH:
Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs
smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board. The mud
and other filth that was washed off was considered useless "hog wash".
CURFEW:
The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase
"couvre-feu" which means "cover the fire".
It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps
and candles. It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu" which
later became the modern "curfew". In the early American colonies
homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the centre of the
room. In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during
the night it was required that, by an agreed upon time, all fires would
be covered with a clay pot called-a "curfew".
HOT OFF THE PRESS:
As the paper goes through the rotary printing press
friction causes it to heat up. Therefore, if you grab the paper right
off the press it is hot. The expression means to get immediate
information.
A SQUARE MEAL:
Comes from old wooden sailing ships, where a sailor was
served his meal on a square plate that fit in a set of wooden angles on a
table so it wouldn't slide off during rolling seas.
A THREE DOG NIGHT:
In old England on a very cold night it was common to
allow a dog to sleep in bed with you for extra warmth. If it was
extremely cold night, it was called a THREE DOG NIGHT.
POSH:
An acronym from early English passenger vessels. As there
was no air-conditioning in those days, the out-bound (north to south)
leg exposed the summer afternoon sun to the starboard side of the ship
making those staterooms much warmer than the port side rooms. This was
reversed on the leg home. Wealthy passengers were allowed to change
sides of the ship to be more comfortable, so their tickets read: Port
Out; Starboard Home, and was abbreviated as P.O.S.H., which now denotes
very comfortable quarters.
BARRELS OF OIL:
When the first oil wells were drilled they had made no
provision for storing the liquid so they used water barrels. That is
why, to this day, we speak of barrels of oil rather than gallons.
FALLEN OFF THE WAGON:
The expression refers to the water wagons used to
sprinkle water on the streets to keep the dust down. During the times of
Prohibition in the 19th century, men often climbed onto these wagons
and took an oath they would give up alcohol and drink only water. This
gave rise to the expression to be on the water cart/wagon; it was later
shortened to on the wagon. When these individuals broke their pledge
and started hitting the bottle again, they were said to have fallen off
the wagon.
