Are These ‘Facts’ Really True? Part 1
You can't believe everything you read online, right? How about if you see it on Steemit? Can you figure it's 100% true? Not really, but don't tell anyone I said that.
Well, I've found the following 'information' online. Are these 'facts' true?
Just be sure you don't quote any of the following as the unvarnished truth because I'm just asking if they're true.
Honeymoon is a term that came about because 4,000 years ago in Babylon, the tradition was that the bride's father furnished all the mead his son-in-law could drink for one month after the wedding. Since mead is a honey beer, this month came to be known as the 'honey month' - or what we call the honeymoon today.
The saying to 'mind your p's and q's' came about long long ago when bartenders in England told rowdy customers to mind their pints and quarts in an effort to get them to quiet down. Pints and quarts eventually became p’s and q’s.
And how about the phrase 'wet your whistle'? Is it true that years ago, whistles were immersed in the handle of cups in England so that customers could just whistle when they wanted to get a drink refill?
Some people say that 'sleep tight' goes back to Shakespeare's days. From that time in England up until not all that long ago in the US, ropes were used to secure mattresses to bed frames. Pulling on the ropes tightened the mattress and made the bed firmer. So 'sleep tight.'
'The whole 9 yards' goes back to WWII. Fighter pilots who fought over the Pacific used to prep their machine gun ammo belts which were 27 feet (9 yards) with bullets. If they fired a complete ammo belt at a target, they gave it the 'whole 9 yards.'
Why is it traditional for brides to carry a bouquet of flowers as they walk down the aisle. Well, in medieval times, June was a popular month for marriages because people took baths only once a year - and that was in May. In June, their body odor wasn't too strong, but the bride carried flowers to counteract any of her own odor that might be offensive.
And here's a scary one. Rumor has it that the weight of all the termites in the world is more than all the humans.
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All the mead I can drink in a month.
Well, these days that's a lot less than it was "back in the day".
It's a great idea to educate us on the origin of these expressions. Well done, Kate. And I hope there are many more posts in this series.
Gary
I've heard the one about the ps and qs before. Doesn't make it true just because I have heard it before but it makes sense. I love these stories. One saying that we've used is "poor as piss" or piss-poor not having a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. It seems that this goes back to families peeing in the same pot and selling the pee to the tannery where it was used to tan the animal hides.
Keep 'em coming Kate.
I love these fun facts and hope to read more of them, @katebenzin! Love @joannereid 's example about being piss poor. Such fun use of the English language!