lucenti
08-17-2008, 06:16 AM
:popcorn:
THE CLINK The name of a prison which was on Clink Street in the
Southwark area of London.
BLACK MARKET In medieval England there were nomadic mercenaries who
wandered the country side and would sell their services to the
highest bidder. These were hardened fighters who lived solitary
lives in the wilderness. They did not have the luxury of servants to
polish their armor and it would oxidize to a blackish hue, and they
came to be known as black knights. At local town festivals they
would have exhibition jousting matches in which the winner of the
fight would win the loser's weapons and armor. The local gentry,
softened by the good life, would lose to these black knights. The
nomadic knights didn't have much use for an extra set of armor and
would sell it back to them immediately after the fight. The losing
nobility would be forced to buy back their armor and this after
market came to be known as the "Black Market"
PATENT LEATHER After the Patten shoe which the young women wore in
the buttery. When the cream spilled on their shoes, the fat would
tend to make the leather shiny.
DONE TO A TURN Meat was roasted until cooked on an upright spit
which had to be turned by hand.
:bs:
BEAT AROUND THE BUSH Game birds were scared out of their hiding
places under bushes and then killed.
CUT THROUGH THE RED TAPE Solicitors kept their clients papers in a
file folder tied with red ribbon to prevent the papers from falling
out. Of course, when they wanted to get at the papers, they would
have to cut through the red tape.
MINDING YOUR
Ps & Qs Ale was served at local taverns out of a "tankard" ... you
were charged by the angle of your elbow ... half-way up... you drank
a pint, all the way up... you drank a quart. Since the Quart cost so
much more than the Pint, you were warned to "Mind your Ps & Qs"
GETTING TANKED When you drank too much out of the above "tankard"
you were said to be "tanked" ... if you got so "tanked" that you
passed out, there was a chance that somebody might think you had
actually died. Since back then they didn't have experience with
taking pulses, they often buried people alive who were actually in a
drunken stupor or otherwise comatose.
PITCHER A leather jug treated with tar pitch to help it hold its
shape.
GETTING BOMBED A bombard is a leather jug which holds 8 pints or 4
quarts. A full bombard of ale would make you drunk.
WET YOUR WHISTLE Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a
whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When
they needed a refill, they used to blow the whistle to get some
service.
TUMBLER & TIPSY Glasses were hand blown, thus flat bottomed glasses
were difficult to produce. Those with curved bottoms would tend to
tumble over when placed on the table, and too many tumblers of
whiskey would make you a little bit tipsy.
:help:
SAVED BY THE BELL When our ancestors realized that they were burying
a great deal of people before their time had actually come, they
came up with a solution. They tied a string onto the "dead" person's
hand, buried them, and tied the other end of the string to a bell
and then tied it to nearby tree branch. If the person revived enough
to ring the bell, their survivors would rush out and dig them up.
Hence... "saved by the bell"
GETTING THE SHORT END OF THE STICK
Candles were expensive to make, so often reeds were dipped in tallow
and burned instead. When visitors came, it was the custom for guests
to make their exit by the time the lights went out. Therefore, if
your host didn't want you to stay very long, he would give you a
"short stick."
GETTING THE
BUM'S RUSH A short rush, which would burn for a short time, would be
used when company came over rather late; when it burnt out, you
would want to see the hind end of your guests out the door.
FROG IN YOUR THROAT Medieval physicians believed that the secretions
of a frog could cure a cough if they were coated on the throat of
the patient. The frog was placed in the mouth of the sufferer and
remained there until the physician decided that the treatment was
complete.
UPPER CRUST Visitors to the Anne Hathaway's cottage (near Stratford
upon Avon) are given this explanation while looking at the bread
oven beside the fireplace in the kitchen: "The bread was put, as a
raw lump of dough, straight into the bread oven. No bread tin, it
just sits on the floor of the oven. The oven is heated by the fire
and is very hot at the bottom. When the bed is done baking and taken
out to cool, the base of the loaf is overcooked black and also
dirty. The top of the loaf is done just right, and still clean. The
bottom of the loaf is for the servants to eat, while the upper crust
is for the master of the house.
EATING HUMBLE PIE Servants at "umble pie" which was made from deer
waste while their Master and his guests had the better cuts of meat.
TURN THE TABLES Tables only had one finished side. The other side,
less expensive to make, was more rough. When the family was alone,
they ate on the rough side to keep the good side nice for company.
When company came, the whole top lifted off and was turned to its
good side.
:argue:
CLEAN YOUR PLATE BEFORE YOU HAVE DESSERT The square plate (above)
was never washed either. After your daily dose of stew, you wiped
your plate clean with a piece of bread. Then you flipped it over
which provided a flat surface for your dessert portion (if there was
any, that is)
ROOM & BOARD An apprentice would journey to another village to learn
more about his craft (journeyman). There he would pay someone for
his room, and food for his board.
GETTING YOUR GOAT This apparently refers to an old English (Welsh?)
belief that keeping a goat in the barn would have a calming effect
on the cows, hence producing more milk. When one wanted to
antagonize/terrorize one's enemy, you would abscond with their goat
rendering their milk cows less- to non-productive.
SAVING FACE OR LOSING FACE The noble ladies and gentlemen of the
late 1700s wore much makeup to impress each other. Since they rarely
bathed, the makeup would get thicker and thicker. If they sat too
close to the heat of the fireplace, the makeup would start to melt.
If that happened, a servant would move the screen in front of the
fireplace to block the heat, so they wouldn't "lose face."
MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX This came from the days when smallpox was a
regular disfigurement. Fine ladies would fill in the pocks with
beeswax. However when the weather was very warm the wax might melt.
But it was not the thing to do for one lady to tell another that her
makeup needed attention. Hence the sharp rebuke to "mind your own
beeswax!"
:P
STONE COLD Slate floors were often cold enough during the winter
months that any bare skin coming in contact with them would "stick".
The slate floors were covered with a layer of hay to provide some
warmth. The kitchen was the only room kept heated during the winter.
All of the family spent the day cooped up in this one room (often 10
kids or more)... also the family cats and dogs who served important
functions of "mousing," "garbage disposal," and etc.
BABY'S HIGH CHAIR
with holes in the seat (a.k.a. "drainage chair") During the winter
months, young babies were strapped into their chairs and were never
allowed to crawl around in the hay on the stone-cold floor. They
didn't wear any diapers of any sort. They sat in that chair all
day... and you know why there were holes in their chair!
SPRING CLEANING The layer of hay in the kitchen, was finally hauled
out of the house when the weather turned warm in the Spring.
BON(e)FIRE The discarded "bones" from winter meals were piled
outside and a bonefire would be set to get rid of them.
Comment from Jeff Parsons: The term Bonfire originated in
Scandinavia (Denmark specifically) and was the celebration after a
battle victory. The bodies of the dead were piled and burned. The
fire provided warmth and light for the aftermath party. The term was
later (about 600 years) used for any large celebratory fire.
SLEEP TIGHT The bed frames were strung with ropes on which straw
mattresses were placed. After some time the ropes would loosen and
one of the young men would pull them tight.
:pimp: :bigcry:
From Bob Vila's tour of famous American homes: In Colonial America
(and, presumably in Europe as well) the beds were not of the box
spring variety that we enjoy today. The mattress laid on top of a
web of ropes. There was a tool - an iron type of gadget that looked
somewhat like an old clothes pin but larger - which was used to
tighten the ropes when they became too slack. Thus, the expression
"sleep tight."
:lol:
THE CLINK The name of a prison which was on Clink Street in the
Southwark area of London.
BLACK MARKET In medieval England there were nomadic mercenaries who
wandered the country side and would sell their services to the
highest bidder. These were hardened fighters who lived solitary
lives in the wilderness. They did not have the luxury of servants to
polish their armor and it would oxidize to a blackish hue, and they
came to be known as black knights. At local town festivals they
would have exhibition jousting matches in which the winner of the
fight would win the loser's weapons and armor. The local gentry,
softened by the good life, would lose to these black knights. The
nomadic knights didn't have much use for an extra set of armor and
would sell it back to them immediately after the fight. The losing
nobility would be forced to buy back their armor and this after
market came to be known as the "Black Market"
PATENT LEATHER After the Patten shoe which the young women wore in
the buttery. When the cream spilled on their shoes, the fat would
tend to make the leather shiny.
DONE TO A TURN Meat was roasted until cooked on an upright spit
which had to be turned by hand.
:bs:
BEAT AROUND THE BUSH Game birds were scared out of their hiding
places under bushes and then killed.
CUT THROUGH THE RED TAPE Solicitors kept their clients papers in a
file folder tied with red ribbon to prevent the papers from falling
out. Of course, when they wanted to get at the papers, they would
have to cut through the red tape.
MINDING YOUR
Ps & Qs Ale was served at local taverns out of a "tankard" ... you
were charged by the angle of your elbow ... half-way up... you drank
a pint, all the way up... you drank a quart. Since the Quart cost so
much more than the Pint, you were warned to "Mind your Ps & Qs"
GETTING TANKED When you drank too much out of the above "tankard"
you were said to be "tanked" ... if you got so "tanked" that you
passed out, there was a chance that somebody might think you had
actually died. Since back then they didn't have experience with
taking pulses, they often buried people alive who were actually in a
drunken stupor or otherwise comatose.
PITCHER A leather jug treated with tar pitch to help it hold its
shape.
GETTING BOMBED A bombard is a leather jug which holds 8 pints or 4
quarts. A full bombard of ale would make you drunk.
WET YOUR WHISTLE Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a
whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When
they needed a refill, they used to blow the whistle to get some
service.
TUMBLER & TIPSY Glasses were hand blown, thus flat bottomed glasses
were difficult to produce. Those with curved bottoms would tend to
tumble over when placed on the table, and too many tumblers of
whiskey would make you a little bit tipsy.
:help:
SAVED BY THE BELL When our ancestors realized that they were burying
a great deal of people before their time had actually come, they
came up with a solution. They tied a string onto the "dead" person's
hand, buried them, and tied the other end of the string to a bell
and then tied it to nearby tree branch. If the person revived enough
to ring the bell, their survivors would rush out and dig them up.
Hence... "saved by the bell"
GETTING THE SHORT END OF THE STICK
Candles were expensive to make, so often reeds were dipped in tallow
and burned instead. When visitors came, it was the custom for guests
to make their exit by the time the lights went out. Therefore, if
your host didn't want you to stay very long, he would give you a
"short stick."
GETTING THE
BUM'S RUSH A short rush, which would burn for a short time, would be
used when company came over rather late; when it burnt out, you
would want to see the hind end of your guests out the door.
FROG IN YOUR THROAT Medieval physicians believed that the secretions
of a frog could cure a cough if they were coated on the throat of
the patient. The frog was placed in the mouth of the sufferer and
remained there until the physician decided that the treatment was
complete.
UPPER CRUST Visitors to the Anne Hathaway's cottage (near Stratford
upon Avon) are given this explanation while looking at the bread
oven beside the fireplace in the kitchen: "The bread was put, as a
raw lump of dough, straight into the bread oven. No bread tin, it
just sits on the floor of the oven. The oven is heated by the fire
and is very hot at the bottom. When the bed is done baking and taken
out to cool, the base of the loaf is overcooked black and also
dirty. The top of the loaf is done just right, and still clean. The
bottom of the loaf is for the servants to eat, while the upper crust
is for the master of the house.
EATING HUMBLE PIE Servants at "umble pie" which was made from deer
waste while their Master and his guests had the better cuts of meat.
TURN THE TABLES Tables only had one finished side. The other side,
less expensive to make, was more rough. When the family was alone,
they ate on the rough side to keep the good side nice for company.
When company came, the whole top lifted off and was turned to its
good side.
:argue:
CLEAN YOUR PLATE BEFORE YOU HAVE DESSERT The square plate (above)
was never washed either. After your daily dose of stew, you wiped
your plate clean with a piece of bread. Then you flipped it over
which provided a flat surface for your dessert portion (if there was
any, that is)
ROOM & BOARD An apprentice would journey to another village to learn
more about his craft (journeyman). There he would pay someone for
his room, and food for his board.
GETTING YOUR GOAT This apparently refers to an old English (Welsh?)
belief that keeping a goat in the barn would have a calming effect
on the cows, hence producing more milk. When one wanted to
antagonize/terrorize one's enemy, you would abscond with their goat
rendering their milk cows less- to non-productive.
SAVING FACE OR LOSING FACE The noble ladies and gentlemen of the
late 1700s wore much makeup to impress each other. Since they rarely
bathed, the makeup would get thicker and thicker. If they sat too
close to the heat of the fireplace, the makeup would start to melt.
If that happened, a servant would move the screen in front of the
fireplace to block the heat, so they wouldn't "lose face."
MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX This came from the days when smallpox was a
regular disfigurement. Fine ladies would fill in the pocks with
beeswax. However when the weather was very warm the wax might melt.
But it was not the thing to do for one lady to tell another that her
makeup needed attention. Hence the sharp rebuke to "mind your own
beeswax!"
:P
STONE COLD Slate floors were often cold enough during the winter
months that any bare skin coming in contact with them would "stick".
The slate floors were covered with a layer of hay to provide some
warmth. The kitchen was the only room kept heated during the winter.
All of the family spent the day cooped up in this one room (often 10
kids or more)... also the family cats and dogs who served important
functions of "mousing," "garbage disposal," and etc.
BABY'S HIGH CHAIR
with holes in the seat (a.k.a. "drainage chair") During the winter
months, young babies were strapped into their chairs and were never
allowed to crawl around in the hay on the stone-cold floor. They
didn't wear any diapers of any sort. They sat in that chair all
day... and you know why there were holes in their chair!
SPRING CLEANING The layer of hay in the kitchen, was finally hauled
out of the house when the weather turned warm in the Spring.
BON(e)FIRE The discarded "bones" from winter meals were piled
outside and a bonefire would be set to get rid of them.
Comment from Jeff Parsons: The term Bonfire originated in
Scandinavia (Denmark specifically) and was the celebration after a
battle victory. The bodies of the dead were piled and burned. The
fire provided warmth and light for the aftermath party. The term was
later (about 600 years) used for any large celebratory fire.
SLEEP TIGHT The bed frames were strung with ropes on which straw
mattresses were placed. After some time the ropes would loosen and
one of the young men would pull them tight.
:pimp: :bigcry:
From Bob Vila's tour of famous American homes: In Colonial America
(and, presumably in Europe as well) the beds were not of the box
spring variety that we enjoy today. The mattress laid on top of a
web of ropes. There was a tool - an iron type of gadget that looked
somewhat like an old clothes pin but larger - which was used to
tighten the ropes when they became too slack. Thus, the expression
"sleep tight."
:lol: