amusing trivia

[Guest guest]

Did you know? In Washington's days, there were no

cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some

paintings of 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. "

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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 lic! e and

bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made

from wool. The wigs couldn't be washed, so to clean them

they could 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.

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In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room

with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board was folded

down from the wall and used for dining. The " head of the

household " always sat in the chair while everyone else ate

sitting on the floor.

Once in a while, a guest (who was almost always 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.

Sitting in the chair, one was called the " chair

man.! " Today in business we use the expression or title

" Chairman or Chairman of the Board, "

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Needless to say, 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. " Also, when they sat too close to the

fire, the wax would melt and therefore the expression

" losing face. "

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Ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front. A

tightly tied lace was worn by a proper and dignified lady as

in " straight laced. "

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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. "

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Early politicians required feedback from the public to

determine what was considered important to the people. Since

there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians

sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars who

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. "

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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 term " minding your

'P's and Q's, "