Origins of well known sayings

[limbo]

I don't know if these origins are true, but they sound good...

 

Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey

 

When black powder canons were still in use the sailors used a brass box to carry the powder ashore. This box was known as a Brass Monkey as it replaced the small boy who used to retrieve the powder from below decks who was called a Powder Monkey. When ashore the Brass Monkey would be placed on the ground and the steel canon balls would be stacked in a pyramid around the monkey. When it got cold overnight the brass would contract quicker than the steel causing a warp the stack and the balls would fall off. This is where we get the term "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey."

 

Honeymoon

 

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon."

 

Mind your P's and Q's

 

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "Mind your P's and Q's."

 

Here's another version submitted by "Zenmonkey" which sounds more reasonable...

The saying was derived from the early type setting industry, where one would have to arrange the letters in reverse in order to have them transfer onto the intended page. A common mistake was to switch the 'p' and 'q'.

 

Stripes on Ties

 

The stripes on a business tie always start on the left and move down to the right. The origins of these stripes lie in military history when soldiers used to wear a scarf around their neck on which to wipe their bloodied swords. Most soldiers being right handed caused the effect of these diagonal stripes on their "Neck tie."

 

The Whole 9 Yards

 

The term "the whole 9 yards" came from W.W.II fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 calibre machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."

 

Actually, the above is not true since most ammo belts didn't measure 27 feet. The saying also doesn't have anything to do with cement mixers since, back in the 1960's when the expression was first used, a cement mixer held only about 4 cubic yards of cement. In fact, according to Random House Publishers, nobody has come up with a good version of the origin of "the whole 9 yards". The expression is said to have originated around 1966 although may have been used as far back as the 1950's, but was not used during WWII. If you know where the saying came from, e-mail me or leave a message on my bulletin board.

Three Square Meals

 

Sailors of olden times used to get their meal on a square board instead of a plate, hence the term "Three square meals a day."

 

Another possibility submitted by Mike Lousha:

At military academies around the US, students are required to eat "square meals" 3 times a day, ie; The head is held high and straight, the fork or spoon is brought straight up from the plate vertically and travels in a straight horizontal line to the mouth. It is not permitted to look at the food. (any wonder in a military environment?)

 

Wet your whistle

 

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle," is the phrase inspired by this practice.

 

Submitted by Owen Calder

 

Old Wive's Tale

 

I was asked about this by Zenmonkey (whoever the heck that is). I haven't found an answer, but it probably comes from the fact that old tales are often told by wives and mothers. A saying described as an "old wive's tale" is usually something that could be true but probably was an old story made up by a wife, or maybe a new story made up by an old wife (alot like the sayings here). Anyway, if you know the answer to this one, post it on my bulletin board or send me an e-mail.

 

Giving someone the cold shoulder

 

 

In the Middle Ages when someone had over stayed their welcome in someone's home, instead of the invitation to dinner, a "cold shoulder" of lamb would be sent to their room at dinner time.

[Torneyboy]

Hi

 

Wet your whistle....thought was from farmers ..way out west working in hot conditions?