..I've just read Bryn's friday night o/t thread above..so while GYAC is having a night off..i'll throw sum well worn sayings into the melting pot..
(1..Bite The Bullet)
..In field surgery,before the use of anaesthetic, a soldier would be told to bite down on a bullet to distract him from pain,but also to minimise screaming..
(2..Put A Sock In IT)
..This plea to be quiet originates in the late 19th century and refers not to people who don't shut up yapping but to early gramaphones.These primitive devices had no volume control,so a convinient method of reducing their noise was to stuff a wollen sock into the horn shaped amplifier..
(3..To Beat About The Bush)
..In the 15th century,a form hunting called "batfowling" was in vogue.One hunter would hold a light to stun birds out of their night-time roosts,while another would thrash around the undergrowth to catch them in a net.The hunters made so much noise that they had to beat around all the bushes just to catch one or two birds--hench the meaning of protracted and imprecise activity..
(4..Up To Scratch)
..Under the London prize fighting rules for boxing introduced in 1839, a fight ended when one of the participants was knocked down.He had the chance to stay in the fight however if he could crawl to a mark scratched in the centre of the ring..if he could'nt get up to the marked scratch,he was declared the loser..
(5..To Jump On The Bandwagon)
..In the southern states of America, during the first presidential campaign of William Jennings Bryan in 1892, candidates for elections would parade through the streets led by a band of musicians performing on a horse drawn wagon.
As a publicity stunt,a candidate would jump on the wagon as it passed through it's own constituency in an effort to woo voters..
(6..The Walls Have Ears)
..In the time of Queen Catherine De Medicis,who lived from 1519-1589,certain rooms in the Louvre,Paris,were said to be constructed with a network of listening tunnels,or auriculaires, so that anything spoken in one room could be heard in another.That way the paranoid queen could scupper any plots against her..
(7..c*** And Bull Story)
..In the coaching days of the 17th century, passengers often alighted at the Bull Inn in London and the c*** Inn in Birmingham. From the exchange of ribald jokes and stories,as travellers waited for both coaches,the phrase " A c*** And Bull Story" was coined..
(8..Break A Leg)
..The traditional good luck message for actors going on stage has a sinister origin.When President Abraham Lincoln was assasinated in his box at ford's threatre in Washington DC, on april 14th 1865, the murderer John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor,escaped after firing the shot by leaping down onto the stage, breaking his leg in the process..
(9..On The Nail)
..The meaning of payment on the nail came from medieval buisness dealings.The nail was a shallow vessel mounted on a stand.When buisness deals were struck,payments were placed on the "Nail".
(10..Straight From The Horses Mouth)
..The only sure way of telling a horses age is to look in it's mouth and count the number of teeth.A first set appears at the age of two and a half. A second set at a year later and a final set aged between four and five. Thus no matter what an owner claimed, a prospective purchaser of a horse could always check for themselves, hench its modern meaning of receiving first hand information that need not be doubted..Robbie..
..Edit To Say.. I dunno why they cut the word beginning with C from no 7 ?..but it rhymes with Rock if your curious..
Holy Hell, what are you doing up so late? I know you're just excited that Becks is here in L.A. with us and want to join in the festivities. Hope all's well with you and Charlie. Not much new here...just sweatin bullets from the heat. good to see you...now get to yer kip. luv corrs
Your thumb is the same length as your nose.
..Ello Cors..
..Long time no talk huh ?..i've been sitting ere doing sum bits n pieces on the pc,i did'nt even realise it was this late..but things are so-so with us cheers..
Beckham ?..im no fan of his cors..i've got nuffin against him but i just ain't got time for him or his wife..i've seen enough of the pair of em over the years to a point where i get bored of hearing/seeing them on tv-papers-radio..your very much welcome to them..hows ya daughter getting on ?..hope ya both well n good over there..nice to still see ya about still cors..take care..Robbie..
..Long time no talk huh ?..i've been sitting ere doing sum bits n pieces on the pc,i did'nt even realise it was this late..but things are so-so with us cheers..
Beckham ?..im no fan of his cors..i've got nuffin against him but i just ain't got time for him or his wife..i've seen enough of the pair of em over the years to a point where i get bored of hearing/seeing them on tv-papers-radio..your very much welcome to them..hows ya daughter getting on ?..hope ya both well n good over there..nice to still see ya about still cors..take care..Robbie..
I agree with you. It's only been a day and i've seen enough of the pair of them. Haven't followed football since my dad was a Harts fan. Wish things were better than so-so for you and Charlie. Probably a teen thing, huh?
My daughter, Brittany, is still doing good. She's still livin by the beach, working hard, and enjoying her sobriety. She has her shakey moments but she calls on her God Mother who is sober 22 years and they get together and have a laugh. You might as well stay up now and watch the sun come up with a strong cup of tea. Good to hear from you. luv corrs
My daughter, Brittany, is still doing good. She's still livin by the beach, working hard, and enjoying her sobriety. She has her shakey moments but she calls on her God Mother who is sober 22 years and they get together and have a laugh. You might as well stay up now and watch the sun come up with a strong cup of tea. Good to hear from you. luv corrs
..haha!! got my cuppa right here you psychic person you..dunno about staying up thou..im knackered..might just stay ere for an hour then im offskis to bed..
thats good brittanys doing well..glad to hear it ; ) ..nahh did'nt mean things were'nt ok with us cors..just meant they ain't good but not bad either..just plodding along as i say..he's doing real well at school which im well proud of him for ,cos he had a lot of catching up to do after missing so much school from being ill them yrs back..but everythings moving along from him at school just nicely now..hes breaking up for 6 weeks hols next week..ain't got no plans to do anything yet thou..talking of tea,do ya get tetley tea where you are ?..best cuppa around mate : ) ..Robbie..
thats good brittanys doing well..glad to hear it ; ) ..nahh did'nt mean things were'nt ok with us cors..just meant they ain't good but not bad either..just plodding along as i say..he's doing real well at school which im well proud of him for ,cos he had a lot of catching up to do after missing so much school from being ill them yrs back..but everythings moving along from him at school just nicely now..hes breaking up for 6 weeks hols next week..ain't got no plans to do anything yet thou..talking of tea,do ya get tetley tea where you are ?..best cuppa around mate : ) ..Robbie..
..The phrase " Rule Of Thumb " is derived from an old english law which stated
that you could'nt beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb ??..
that you could'nt beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb ??..
Ah, nothin like a good cupa. There's a british shop I go to to get my sweeties and weatabix...but I don't get the Tetley's cause they charge an arm and a leg...had to grow to like the Lipton here as well as the beans that don't taste like back home and the bacon and the sausage...oh, the list goes on. Now you got me missin all kinds of good stuff. Glad Charlie's good. yeah, sometimes life is just so-so..but after the hell I went through with Britt...so-so now is a good thing to me. Boring but better than chatoic. Alright, have a good sleep. At least you get to fall asleep to rain a lot. Not much of that here in Cali. We'll be waitin on some more sayings...night, cors
Robbie -
Very interesting thread! Where did you find all of these?
Misty
Very interesting thread! Where did you find all of these?
Misty
..Alrite Misty..
..I got these from a magazine that charleys got (Horrible Histories)..he got a little folder with it and its got sum of these sayings in it..got the thumb one off the internet..thats a mad one huh ?..Robbie..
..I got these from a magazine that charleys got (Horrible Histories)..he got a little folder with it and its got sum of these sayings in it..got the thumb one off the internet..thats a mad one huh ?..Robbie..
Alright Robbie? how do you know all that?...it's true what they say you learn something new everyday, eh?
Can anyone remember the post that had names like george bush and mother in law and there were anogrms of them?????
Can anyone remember the post that had names like george bush and mother in law and there were anogrms of them?????
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.
(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
England was old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer
And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.
(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
England was old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer
And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !
OH MY GOSH I SO LOVE THIS THREAD. L-O-V-E IT.
Thanks, Robbie. Thanks to all that have contributed. Even Miss West Coast.
"NEVER LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH WITH CHOCOLATE"....a pharase used when a woman comes from across the pond to the US and disses Hershey's chocolate. Started when some lady Corrinne blasted the people's on ARB who dang well know their candy is better. Otherwise only known to bug Ozzy Osbourne and Shar-ON.
Best I didn't know where "Break A Leg" came from. All y'all were up late.
Thanks, Robbie. Thanks to all that have contributed. Even Miss West Coast.
"NEVER LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH WITH CHOCOLATE"....a pharase used when a woman comes from across the pond to the US and disses Hershey's chocolate. Started when some lady Corrinne blasted the people's on ARB who dang well know their candy is better. Otherwise only known to bug Ozzy Osbourne and Shar-ON.
Best I didn't know where "Break A Leg" came from. All y'all were up late.
"To KNOW KNOW KNOW HER" song from the sixties was most likely written about Bryn...until they discovered she ate Hershey's.
ok--im clueless whats arb and whats with the chocolate--i dont get it please explain for the sheltered american girl in the midwest--LOL
..Amity..
..I don't think bryn will mind if i post on her behalf ?..ARB = Addiction Recovery Board..and the chocolate thing is she means corrine disses bryn about hersheys choco as corrine is originally from britain where our choco (cadburys) is better haha!!..only joking bout the chocy bryn ; ) ..Robbie..
..I don't think bryn will mind if i post on her behalf ?..ARB = Addiction Recovery Board..and the chocolate thing is she means corrine disses bryn about hersheys choco as corrine is originally from britain where our choco (cadburys) is better haha!!..only joking bout the chocy bryn ; ) ..Robbie..
Just a couple that i posted ages back on a thread started by GYAC of all people.
The whole nine yards:used during WW2 to describe an allied pilot letting off all his ammo in one long 9yrd.burst.
Freeze the balls of a brass monkey:during the Napolinonic wars on British ships cannon balls were kept on an apparatus called a brass monkey so when it was cold the metal would expand hence the balls falling off.
All have a great weekend .........Davey
The whole nine yards:used during WW2 to describe an allied pilot letting off all his ammo in one long 9yrd.burst.
Freeze the balls of a brass monkey:during the Napolinonic wars on British ships cannon balls were kept on an apparatus called a brass monkey so when it was cold the metal would expand hence the balls falling off.
All have a great weekend .........Davey
Robbie you can answer for me anytime........thanks....and yeah Amity he is absolutely correct....ARB my new shorthand for this board.
Chocolate.......yep.......look Amity the British want our chocolate.....that's why Mr. And Mrs. Posh Bekhham moved here.......tha's what I'm talking about.
Davey, glad to see that was not a naughty saying.......I so enjoy this stuff.
It's a good read, Robbie.......and meanwhile we go around saying these things not knowing from whence these came.
Robbie, ya were running with the mice while GYAC was hanging out with the cats........WOOT!
Chocolate.......yep.......look Amity the British want our chocolate.....that's why Mr. And Mrs. Posh Bekhham moved here.......tha's what I'm talking about.
Davey, glad to see that was not a naughty saying.......I so enjoy this stuff.
It's a good read, Robbie.......and meanwhile we go around saying these things not knowing from whence these came.
Robbie, ya were running with the mice while GYAC was hanging out with the cats........WOOT!
In reply to the raining cats and dogs one...in french they say it's raining like a pissing dog! hmm...wonder what the origin of that is!!!
(1..Limelight)
..In 1861,Thomas Drummond devised a lighting source for theatres..It was a cylinder of lime heated by a incandescence flame and placed behind a lens or in front of a reflector..These " Lime Lights " were very bright, Thus a star performer was very visible as long as he stood in it..Soon, actors were competeing to be in the easily seen limelight to be more noticeable..Hence, being in the limelight..
(2..Axe To Grind)
..Benjamin Franklin published a lot of stories..One of which he was the central character..Franklin was approached by a stranger one day who stopped to admire the family grindstone..The stranger asked franklin to show him how it worked and passed him his axe to demonstrate..once the axe was sharp enough, the stranger took back his axe and walked off laughing..Today " Having an axe to grind " means that someone has a hidden motive behind their actions.
(3..Jaywalker)
..Jay Birds who ventured out of their rural forests and into urban areas often got confused..They often endangered their lives walking anywhere where they wanted, including into traffic..Sophisticated city people laughed at their erratic behaviour..So now, anyone who walks across the street in a reckless or illegal way is called a jaywalker..
(4..No Spring Chicken)
..New England chicken farmers discovered that chickens born in spring bought
better prices, rather than old birds who have gone through the winter etc..
Sometimes farmers tried to sell the old birds as a new spring born chicken..
Smart buyers often complained that a tough old fowl was " No spring chicken "
and so the term now is used to represent birds (an even people) who are past their plump and tender years..
(5..Break The Ice)
..All cities that grew as a result of being on rivers (for trade) suffered during bitter
cold times when the river froze..Even large sturdy ships got stuck, making them icebound for weeks..Little sturdy ships known as " icebreakers " were
developed to precede the ships breaking ice and making a path..This was important for the ships to get the goods to market..And so, every boatman knew that to get down to business, they first had to break the ice..Today it represents any sort of start to a project..
(6..Double Cross)
..Illiteracy was common in the old days, so when a person would sign their name to a document he would put an " X " or a cross, as it was perfectly legal..
Many times this was done under pressure and the party making the " X " had no
intention of observing the terms of the contract..Oral lore stated that if a cross was doubled (one was written over the other one), then the second one voided out the first, the contract was then null..So a " Double-Cross " was often referred to someone who promised something in word or writing but changed their minds, or even never intended to obey the rules they agreed to..
(7..Sidekick)
..The term comes from the days of the notorious pickpocket activities in London.
They had their own language for different pockets that were the style of the day.
For example, -Jerve- as a vest pocket, -Kick- was a pocket on the side of a pair of trousers/pants and the -Pratt- was the back pocket..Of all the pockets, the most difficult to pick was the -Kick- because it was close to the victims leg and was always moving..After a while smart people discovered that the safest place to keep their money was in the " Sidekick " (side pocket of the trousers)..Today the term now means a faithful partner that is by one's side, often even helpful and protective..
(8..Hoodlum)
..One of the most notorious criminals of the barbary coast was a man named Muldoon, who had so much muscle and protection he was hard to arrest..A San Francisco newspaper led a campaign to help clean up the town..but rather than printing his name, they put it in backwards = Noodlum, a bit obvious so they changed the N for a H = Hoodlum..so everytime the criminals activities were written up, it was as " Hoodlum "..
(9..Nicotine)
..Ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot talked to a lot of sailors..In 1560 he got some seeds from these sailors and planted them, and so the first tobacco plants in France grew..When scientists discovered that tobacco had a potent
substance, they named it " Nicotine " after Jean Nicot..
(10..To Smell A Rat)
..The saying means to feel that someone or something was suspicious in nature..The source goes back to the use of dogs in large mansions or palaces to warn of rats..Apparently, it is believed that a dog who suddenly stirred could smell a rat ( no one considered maybe the dog had a keen sense of hearing and could hear the scratching also ? )..Anyway, when the dog suddenly jerked
from lying on the carpet or wherever, people would say " He smelled a rat "..Soon, society used the phrase anytime someone got suspicious..
..Robbie..
..Believer..
..Apparantly the saying to" Raining cats and dogs ", goes back to norse mythology..it is believed that witches caused storms and rode the winds in the shape of black cats, and the god of storms is described as being surrounded by wild dogs and wolves (Howling of the storm), whereby people added the cat shaped winds with the howling of the storm and came up with "raining cats and dogs " ?..
..In 1861,Thomas Drummond devised a lighting source for theatres..It was a cylinder of lime heated by a incandescence flame and placed behind a lens or in front of a reflector..These " Lime Lights " were very bright, Thus a star performer was very visible as long as he stood in it..Soon, actors were competeing to be in the easily seen limelight to be more noticeable..Hence, being in the limelight..
(2..Axe To Grind)
..Benjamin Franklin published a lot of stories..One of which he was the central character..Franklin was approached by a stranger one day who stopped to admire the family grindstone..The stranger asked franklin to show him how it worked and passed him his axe to demonstrate..once the axe was sharp enough, the stranger took back his axe and walked off laughing..Today " Having an axe to grind " means that someone has a hidden motive behind their actions.
(3..Jaywalker)
..Jay Birds who ventured out of their rural forests and into urban areas often got confused..They often endangered their lives walking anywhere where they wanted, including into traffic..Sophisticated city people laughed at their erratic behaviour..So now, anyone who walks across the street in a reckless or illegal way is called a jaywalker..
(4..No Spring Chicken)
..New England chicken farmers discovered that chickens born in spring bought
better prices, rather than old birds who have gone through the winter etc..
Sometimes farmers tried to sell the old birds as a new spring born chicken..
Smart buyers often complained that a tough old fowl was " No spring chicken "
and so the term now is used to represent birds (an even people) who are past their plump and tender years..
(5..Break The Ice)
..All cities that grew as a result of being on rivers (for trade) suffered during bitter
cold times when the river froze..Even large sturdy ships got stuck, making them icebound for weeks..Little sturdy ships known as " icebreakers " were
developed to precede the ships breaking ice and making a path..This was important for the ships to get the goods to market..And so, every boatman knew that to get down to business, they first had to break the ice..Today it represents any sort of start to a project..
(6..Double Cross)
..Illiteracy was common in the old days, so when a person would sign their name to a document he would put an " X " or a cross, as it was perfectly legal..
Many times this was done under pressure and the party making the " X " had no
intention of observing the terms of the contract..Oral lore stated that if a cross was doubled (one was written over the other one), then the second one voided out the first, the contract was then null..So a " Double-Cross " was often referred to someone who promised something in word or writing but changed their minds, or even never intended to obey the rules they agreed to..
(7..Sidekick)
..The term comes from the days of the notorious pickpocket activities in London.
They had their own language for different pockets that were the style of the day.
For example, -Jerve- as a vest pocket, -Kick- was a pocket on the side of a pair of trousers/pants and the -Pratt- was the back pocket..Of all the pockets, the most difficult to pick was the -Kick- because it was close to the victims leg and was always moving..After a while smart people discovered that the safest place to keep their money was in the " Sidekick " (side pocket of the trousers)..Today the term now means a faithful partner that is by one's side, often even helpful and protective..
(8..Hoodlum)
..One of the most notorious criminals of the barbary coast was a man named Muldoon, who had so much muscle and protection he was hard to arrest..A San Francisco newspaper led a campaign to help clean up the town..but rather than printing his name, they put it in backwards = Noodlum, a bit obvious so they changed the N for a H = Hoodlum..so everytime the criminals activities were written up, it was as " Hoodlum "..
(9..Nicotine)
..Ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot talked to a lot of sailors..In 1560 he got some seeds from these sailors and planted them, and so the first tobacco plants in France grew..When scientists discovered that tobacco had a potent
substance, they named it " Nicotine " after Jean Nicot..
(10..To Smell A Rat)
..The saying means to feel that someone or something was suspicious in nature..The source goes back to the use of dogs in large mansions or palaces to warn of rats..Apparently, it is believed that a dog who suddenly stirred could smell a rat ( no one considered maybe the dog had a keen sense of hearing and could hear the scratching also ? )..Anyway, when the dog suddenly jerked
from lying on the carpet or wherever, people would say " He smelled a rat "..Soon, society used the phrase anytime someone got suspicious..
..Robbie..
..Believer..
..Apparantly the saying to" Raining cats and dogs ", goes back to norse mythology..it is believed that witches caused storms and rode the winds in the shape of black cats, and the god of storms is described as being surrounded by wild dogs and wolves (Howling of the storm), whereby people added the cat shaped winds with the howling of the storm and came up with "raining cats and dogs " ?..
