Trivia

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  • annunaki
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2008
    • 610
    • White Springs, Florida
    • 21829, BT3100, 2-BT3000(15amp)

    Trivia

    Rare is the man who can weigh the faults of others without putting his own thumb on the scales



    Early aircraft's throttles had a ball on the end of it,
    in order to go full throttle the pilot had to push the throttle all the way
    forward into the wall of the instrument panel. Hence "balls to the wall"
    for going very fast. And now you know, the rest of the story.

    *********************************
    During WWII , U.S. airplanes were armed with belts of bullets which they
    would shoot during dogfights and on strafing runs. These belts were folded
    into the wing compartments that fed their machine guns. These belts measure
    27 feet and contained hundreds of rounds of bullets. Often times, the
    pilots would return from their missions having expended all of their bullets
    on various targets. They would say, “I gave them the whole nine yards,”
    meaning they used up all of their ammunition.

    *********************************
    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 cannonballs would come right
    off the monkey; Thus, it was quite literally, 'Cold enough to freeze the
    balls off a brass monkey.' (All this time, you thought that was an improper
    expression, didn't you.)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fileodecahedron.gif
  • cabinetman
    Gone but not Forgotten RIP
    • Jun 2006
    • 15218
    • So. Florida
    • Delta

    #2
    Interesting...to say the least. Thanks.

    .

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