Guest views are now limited to 12 pages. If you get an "Error" message, just sign in! If you need to create an account, click here.

Jump to content
  • CRYPTO REWARDS!

    Full endorsement on this opportunity - but it's limited, so get in while you can!

Some Interesting Trivia:


moose 57
 Share

Recommended Posts

Some Interesting Trivia:
 

 
We use these words and phrases every day!  But do you know how they came into being?  Some of these might surprise you:
 
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 WW2 had machine guns that were fed by belts 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 WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm. So if you died you in battle 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 was common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who the dealer 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".  Thus Cobsweb or Cobweb.

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 theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a steamboat.  These played in small towns 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 stealing the attention or 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 a effort to empty the lungs of water.  It was rarely effective so if you were ever over a barrel you were 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 of them 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 center 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 a 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.

 

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.


  • Testing the Rocker Badge!

  • Live Exchange Rate

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.