Did you know the saying "God willing and the Creek
don't rise" was in reference to the Creek Indians and not a body of water?
It was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. He was a
politician and Indian diplomat. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by
the President of the U.S. to return to Washington . In his response, he was
said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Because he
capitalized the word "Creek" it is deduced that he was referring to
the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water.
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.
Hence the expression, 'Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg.' (Artists
know hands and arms are more difficult to paint)
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. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they
would 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.
In the late 1700's, many houses consisted of a large room
with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and
was used for dining. The 'head of the household' always sat in the chair while
everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually 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. They called the one sitting in the
chair the 'chair man.' Today in business, we use the expression or title
'Chairman' or 'Chairman of the Board.'
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.’ In addition, when they sat too
close to the fire, the wax would melt. Therefore, the expression 'losing face.'
Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A
proper and dignified woman, as in 'straight laced' wore a tightly tied lace.
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.'
Early politicians required feedback from the public to
determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones,
TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs,
and bars. They 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.'
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 phrase 'minding
your 'P's and Q's'.
One more: bet you didn't know this!
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. However, 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.
However, 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 cannon balls would come right off the
monkey; Thus, it was quite literally 'Cold enough to freeze the balls off a
brass monkey.'
