Email from JKS Weertasekera
& THINGS I NEVER KNEW. Some Images attached.
'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 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 WW1 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.
Let one’s hair down
.What it means: Kick back, relax.
Origin: Back in medieval times, aristocratic women would
wear their hair high and tight, only letting it down once they were at home and
out of the public eye.
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 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.
SLEEP TIGHT
Early
beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the
frame in a criss-cross pattern.
A
straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes
stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to
get a better night's sleep.
SHOWBOAT
These
were floating theaters 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 a effort to empty the lungs of water. It
was rarely effective. If you are over a barrel you are in deep trouble.
Turn a blind eye.
What it means: To ignore the reality.
Origin: Horatio
Nelson had a blind eye. Once when he was given the signal to stop attacking a
fleet of Danish ships, he raised his telescope up to his blind eye and declared
that he doesn't see a signal. He was eventually victorious, the cheeky bastard.
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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".
HOG WASH
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 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".
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.
Don’t throw the baby out
with the
bathwater.
What it means:
Don’t get rid of your
valuables along with the unnecessary things.
Origin: This one is
nasty, fair warning. In the 1500’s, people would bathe once a year, and they
wouldn’t change the water between people. The adult males would go first, then
the females, then the children. By the time it was the kids turn, the water
would be murky. So murky in fact, that the mothers had to take extra care to be
sure that they didn’t throw the baby out when they were dumping the water. That
would be extremely upsetting.
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’s hot. The expression means to get
immediate information.
Give a cold shoulder.
What it means: Being antisocial towards someone.
Origin: In the olden days of
England, it was customary for the host to give their guests a cold piece of
meat from the shoulder of a mutton, pork, or beef chop when they wanted their
guests to leave. It was kind of a polite way of saying “Get outta here,
Butters”.
