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Historical Quotes and
Their Origins
"Okay, but it'll
cost you an arm and a leg."
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.
"here comes the
Big Wig"
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. The wigs couldn't
be washed, so to clean them they could 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.
"Chairman" or "Chairman of the
Board."
In the late 1700s, many
houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide
board was folded down from the wall and used for dining. The "head of the
household" always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor.
Once in a while, a guest (who was almost always 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. Sitting in the chair, one was called the "chair man." Today in
business we use the expression or title
"Chairman" or "Chairman of the
Board."
"mind your own bee's
wax."
Needless to say, 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." Also, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt and
therefore the expression
"losing face."
or "saving face"
"straight laced."
Ladies wore corsets which would lace up
in the front. A tightly tied lace was worn by a proper and dignified lady as in
"straight laced."
"Not playing with a full deck."
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."
"gossip."
Early politicians required feedback
from the public to determine what was considered important to the people. Since
there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants
to local taverns, pubs, and bars who 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."
"minding your P's and Q's."
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."
One more: bet you didn't know this!
"Cold enough to freeze
the balls off a brass monkey."
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, but 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. But, 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." (And all this time, you thought that was an
improper expression, didn't you?) |
