Why does "debt" contain a "b"?
The b in debt is not the
result of the survival of an obsolete pronunciation, as most people suppose, but
the result of deliberate tampering with the word. Debt is
derived directly from Old French dette, and in early English the word was
regularly spelled det or dette and pronounced exactly as it is
today. It's spelled dette in the Vision of Piers Plowman and in
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. From the 13th to the 16th centuries it was
frequently spelled debt by grammarians and scholars who assumed it was a
derivation of the Latin word debita ("owed") and wanted to make the
English word conform more closely to its Latin roots. By Shakespeare's time debt
had become the established spelling.
# # #
How did "the Greeks had a word for it" originate?
The Greeks Had A Word For It is
the title of a play written by American author and playwright Zoë Akins. It was
first produced on Broadway in 1929. The word referred to in the title is the
Greek "hetaera", signifying a courtesan, mistress or female paramour of
the better class according to ancient Greek standards.
# # #
Why is the pool in a card game called the kitty?
The origins of kitty are somewhat
obscure. Its use when referring to a pool of stakes in a card game may be
comparatively recent. The word
kit, signifying a vessel, case, basket, bag or other container dates back
to around 1400. It also means the contents of a case, such a soldier's kit,
meaning his equipment or outfit. Kitty may be merely a little kit of money. Some
authorities believe there may be a connection between kitty as used in card
games and kist or kiste, an old Scotch and North-of-England form
of chest, referring particularly to a chest in the sense of a money box.
# # #
How did "in the limelight" originate?
This term, meaning a conspicuous
position in the public eye, was originally theatrical slang. The system of
lighting known as the limelight was invented in 1825 by Thomas Drummond, a
British army officer, surveyor and administrator. After serving in the royal
engineers, Captain Drummond became assistant to the chief of the British
trigonometrical survey. He learned of the brilliant luminosity of lime when
incandescent while attending a series of lectures on chemistry and physics. It
occurred to him that a lime light might be used to make distant surveying
stations visible, and he produced a steady, intense white light by directing an
oxyhydrogen flame on a cylinder of lime. In 1825, while surveying in Northern
Ireland, he put his new "Drummond light" to a test by making successful
observations between two mountains 67 miles apart. A few years later Captain
Drummond adapted his lights for use in lighthouses. These were the days before
the use of electricity so there was no satisfactory or adequate system of
lighting the stage in theaters.
Captain Drummond's invention was quickly adapted
for theatrical use. The stage lighting instrument used an oxyhydrogen flame on a
cylinder of lime and was equipped with a lens to concentrate a beam of light on
a particular point on the stage. The part of the stage where the most important
action was taking place came to be referred to as the limelight. Over
time, the leading player in a production was said to be in the limelight.
# # #
What was the oath taken by the young men of Athens?
In ancient Greece, particularly in
Attica, a free born youth was required to taken an examination upon reaching the
age of 18 and completing his secondary education. If he passed, he was enrolled
on the list of his tribe as a citizen. Such a youth in Athens was called an
ephebus. He was provided with a uniform and for two years was supported at
public expense while he was put through a severe course in military and
gymnastic training and compelled to perform regular garrison duty. Before
entering upon his training as an ephebus, the young man was required to take the
ephebic oath, which read:
"We will never
bring disgrace to our city by any act of dishonesty or cowardice, nor ever
desert our suffering comrades in the ranks; we will fight for the ideals and
sacred things of the city, both alone and with many; we will revere and obey the
city's laws and do our best to incite a like respect and reverence in those
about us; we will strive unceasingly to quicken the public's sense of civic
duty; and thus, in all these ways, we will strive to transmit this city not only
not less but greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us."
# # #
Why is a cow called "Bossy"?
Bossy is a general name for a cow, like
Dobbin for a horse or Tabby for a cat. The Latin word for ox or cow is bos,
and it is likely that the first person to call a cow Bossy was equipped with
both a knowledge of Latin and a sense of humor. Some authorities, however,
believe the term originated with the dialectic English word boss calf,
meaning a young calf. In the Teutonic languages there is a root word variously
spelled bos,
boose and buss, which means barn, stall or crib. The thought is
that originally a boss calf was one kept in a barn or stall as
distinguished from one grazing at large and that bossy as applied to a
cow is derived from the same source.
# # #
Why do
men's suit jackets have a slit in the back?
The tradition of men's' suits originated in France in the
18th Century. It began with wearing a coat, waistcoat, vest, and trousers of
different fabrics, patterns and colors. The suit's cut was loose, almost baggy,
because it was intended to be informal country wear; it was originally known as
a "lounge suit." In the 1860's it became fashionable to have all the suit's
components made in matching fabric. Because these country lounge suits were also
worn for horseback riding, tailors were often requested to slit the jacket up
the back. And the slit is still there today.
# # #
What is a moonless
month?
This is the name given to any month in which there is no
full moon. February is the only month shorter than the lunar cycle and the only
one that can have fewer than four moon phases. However, the missing phase would
not necessarily be the full moon.
The average time between full moons is 29-1/2 days while
the time from one phase to another varies from less than 7 days to more than 8.
About every 6 years, February has only three moon phases and is without a full
moon considerably less often. In 1866 February had no full moon, but the
preceding January and the following March each had two full moons. In the late
1940's, scientists projected this particular lunar sequence would not occur
again for nearly 2,500,000 years!
# # #
How did
"reading the riot act" originate?
This phrase literally means warning a crowd to disperse
under penalty of law. By extension it has come to mean to give warning,
reprimand or rebuke severely. Originally the phrase was a reference to the Riot
Act enacted by the British Parliament in 1714, the first year of the reign of
King George I. Although riot laws had been passed previously, the Riot Act of
1714 was the first comprehensive law enacted to prevent or suppress tumultuous
and riotous meetings. It provided that if 12 or more persons were unlawfully
assembled and disturbing the peace, the sheriff, justice of the peace, or mayor
should read the following proclamation: "Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons being assembled immediately to disperse
themselves, and peacefully to depart to their habitations or to their lawful
business, upon the pains contained in the act made in the first year of King
George for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies. God save the King."
What is the
origin of "o'clock"?
Originally this term was of the clock—for which
o'clock is a contraction. It means by or according to the clock. The form
o'clock first began to appear in the 18th Century. In Chaucer's time (14th
Century) of the clock was used. Later the word the in the phrase
was omitted and of was frequently slurred to sound like an
a. Chaucer said ten of the clokke, while many writers of the 16th
and 17th centuries said ten of clock or ten a clock. Originally
the word clock signified bell. The modern usage is a survival of the
period when all mechanical timepieces sounded the hours by bells.
# # #
Why is the Pope's
residence called the Vatican?
The Vatican received its name from an older name for the
site on which it stands. In ancient times a low, level region on the western
bank of the Tiber River was known as Ager Vaticanus ("Vatican Field"). This name
is believed to be derived from Vaticum, the name of an Etruscan settlement
which vanished centuries before the earliest Roman history. The origin and meaning
of Vaticum is not known for certain. In Latin vates mean "prophet", and
vaticinatio, "prophecy." Some authorities have theorized that Vaticum, which was
outside the limits of ancient Rome, was so called because a legendary priestly
king once revealed oracles to his people there. Over time the name Vatican came
to refer specifically to a nearby hill rather than to the land area near the
river.
The popes purchased large parts of Vatican Hill during the
Middle Ages. A papal residence was built on the site near the ancient Basilica
of St. Peter in the time of Pope Symmachus, who was pope from 498 to 514 A.D.
The residence of the pontiff is the largest palace in the world. It is not the
work of any one architect, but a collection of a thousand rooms which took
centuries to build. The state of Vatican City (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)
was created in 1929. It comprises an area of about 109 acres, and includes not
only the Vatican proper, but also St. Peter's and many other buildings.
# # #
How did "pay
through the nose" originate?
To pay through the nose, meaning "to pay a fancy
price for a thing," "to pay more than it's worth" or "to get stung," is of
uncertain origin. The earliest known English use of the phrase is dated 1672.
There's a legend that in the 9th Century the Danes imposed a head tax in Ireland
resembling the poll tax. It was called the "nose tax" because those who
neglected to pay it were punished by having their nose slit. Paying through
the nose may have been a reference to this penalty. While some authorities
suppose the phrase was originally a facetious allusion to "nose bleeding" and
"being bled for money," others trace its origins to the similarity of rhino,
an old slang term for money, to the Greek rhinos ("nose").
# # #
What is the
philosopher's stone?
A person looking for a short cut to riches is said to be searching for the
philosopher's stone. In Poor Richard's Almanac, Benjamin Franklin said:
"If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher's stone."
Ancient alchemists believed that somewhere in nature there existed a
substance that could transmute all ordinary metals into gold. This imaginary
substance was called the philosopher's stone because it was supposed to have a
philosophic basis and was linked with the theories of matter advanced by
the philosophers. The idea of transmuting base metals seems to have originated
with the Greeks of Alexandria in the early centuries of the Christian Era. In
medieval times the philosopher's stone was reputed not only to be able to
transmute the baser metals into gold, but also had the power of prolonging life
indefinitely and curing most bodily ills. Accordingly it became synonymous with
elixir vitae ("the elixir of life"). Elixir is believed to be
derived either from an Arabic root signifying "powder" or a Greek root
signifying "dry." The elixir of life was conceived as some substance, such as a
drug, essence or tincture, that was capable of transmuting base metals into gold
and prolonging life indefinitely. The term became synonymous with
philosopher's stone and was applied to any alleged panacea or "cure all."
Some medieval alchemists thought the philosopher's stone was a "perfect
ruby." According to one version of the legend, the philosopher's stone was
buried at the foot of the rainbow. Another version had it that if one were to
dig at the spot where the rainbow touches the ground, he would find a pot of
gold. Visionaries and dreamers who try to achieve the seemingly impossible are
sometimes called "rainbow chasers." because they are said to be seeking the
philosopher's stone or the pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow.
# # #
What is a fiscal
year?
A fiscal year or financial year is a
12-month period used for calculating annual (yearly) financial reports in
businesses and other organizations. In many jurisdictions, regulatory laws
regarding accounting require such reports once per twelve months, but do not
require that the twelve months constitute a calendar year.
A new company or business has to decide
at its inception on which month its fiscal year will start, and then (generally)
stay with it. In the United States, a business' tax year is the same as its
fiscal year, and must file its tax return by the 15th day of the third month
following the fiscal year end (most often March 15).
Often the fiscal or tax year is
specifically established not to match the calendar year so that year-end
accounting work does not occur during key holiday periods. In western
traditions, the end of December is not only the end of the calendar year but
also a time of celebration which includes such holidays as Hanukkah and
Christmas. It is sometimes referred to as the "holiday season" or the "Christmas
period". Generally, the fiscal year tends to end at a time that deliberately
does not coincide with key holiday periods.
The U.S. government's fiscal year
begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the next year. The Australian
government's fiscal year begins on July 1 and concludes on June 30 of the
following year. In Canada, the United Kingdom, India and Hong Kong, the
government's financial year runs from April 1 to March 31. However, in the UK,
the personal tax year (which governs liability for income tax and capital gains
tax) runs from April 6 to April 5. This reflects the old ecclesiastical
calendar, with New Year falling on March 25 (Lady Day), the difference between
April 6 and March 25 being accounted for by the 11 days "missed out"
on when
Great Britain converted from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar in
1752 (the British tax authorities were unwilling to lose 11 days of tax revenue,
so the 1752-53 tax year was extended by 11 days)..
# # #
Was there a real life Uncle Sam?
Yes, my friends, there was an Uncle Sam. This symbol of
the United States government and the national character, dressed in striped
pants and a top hat, came about as the result of a coincidence and a joke.
Uncle Sam was Samuel Wilson. He was born in Arlington,
Massachusetts, on September 13, 1766, a time when the town was known as Menotomy.
At age eight, Sam Wilson served as a drummer boy on the village green. He was on
duty that April morning in 1775 when Paul Revere made his historic ride. Though
the "shot heard round the world" was fired from nearby Lexington, young Sam
alerted local patriots by banging his drum at the sight of redcoats, and the
British were prevented from advancing on Menotomy.
Interestingly enough, as a young boy Sam played with
another young patriot by the name of John Chapman, who would later be remembered
in American history as the real life Johnny Appleseed. At age 14, Sam joined the
army and fought in the American Revolution. With independence from Britain won,
Sam moved to Troy, New York, in 1789 and opened a meat packing company. Because
of his jovial manner and fair business practices, he was affectionately known to
the townsfolk as Uncle Sam.
During the war of 1812, government troops were quartered
near Troy. Sam Wilson's fair dealing reputation won him a military contract to
supply beef and pork for the soldiers. To indicate that certain crates of meat
produced at his warehouse were destined for military use, Sam ordered them
stamped with a large "U.S."—for
"United States," an abbreviation not yet in use.
On October 1, 1812, government inspectors made a routine
tour of the plant. They asked a meat packer what the "U.S." stamp stood for. The
worker, uncertain of its true meaning, joked that the letters must represent the
initials of his employer, Uncle Sam. The error was perpetuated. Soon soldiers
began referring to all military rations as bounty from Uncle Sam. Before long,
they were calling all government issued supplies property of Uncle Sam. They
even referred to themselves as Uncle Sam's men.
The first Uncle Sam illustrations appeared in New England
newspapers in 1820. At that time, the character was depicted as clean shaven,
wearing a sold black top hat and black tailcoat. The more familiar and colorful
image we know today arose piecemeal, almost one item at a time, each the
contribution of a different illustrator.
During Andrew Jackson's presidency, solid red pants were
introduced. The flowing beard first appeared during Abraham Lincoln's term,
inspired by the president's own beard. By the late 19th Century, Uncle Sam was
such a popular national figure that cartoonists decided he should be more
patriotically attired. They adorned his red pant with white stripes and his top
hat with both stars and stripes. His costume became an embodiment of our
country's flag.
While rather flamboyantly dressed, at this point in
history Uncle Sam was short and somewhat portly by today's standards of height
and weight.
It was Thomas Nast, a famous German-born cartoonist of the
Civil War and Reconstruction era, who made Uncle Sam tall, thin, and hollow
cheeked. Coincidentally, Nast's depiction strongly resembled drawings of the
real life Uncle Sam even though Nast's model was actually Abraham Lincoln.
The most famous portrayal of Uncle Sam—the one most
frequently reproduced and widely recognized—was painted by American artist James
Montgomery Flagg in the early 20th Century. The stern-faced, stiff-armed,
finger-pointing figure appeared on World War I posters with the caption: "I Want
You for U.S. Army." The poster showing Uncle Sam dressed in his full flag
apparel, sold four million copies during the war years, and more than half a
million in World War II. Flagg's Uncle Sam is not based on Abe Lincoln but is a
portrait of himself—as a legend.
Proof of the existence of Uncle Sam was not uncovered
until early in 1961. If not for this evidence, doubt would still exist about
there being a real life prototype and the character would still be considered a
myth, as it was for decades.
The facts were discovered by historian Thomas Gerson in
the archives of the New York Historical Society in the yellowing pages of the
New-York Gazette newspaper published on May 12, 1830. In it there is a
firsthand detailed account explaining how Pheodorus Bailey, postmaster of New
York City, had witnessed the Uncle Sam legend take root in Troy. Bailey, who was
a soldier in 1812, had accompanied government inspectors on the October day they
visited Sam Wilson's meat packing plant. He said he was present when a worker
surmised that the stamped initials "U.S." stood for "Uncle Sam."
Sam Wilson eventually became active in politics. He died
on July 31, 1854 at the age of 88. A tombstone erected in 1931 at Oakwood
Cemetery in Troy reads: "In loving memory of "Uncle Sam", the name
originating with Samuel Wilson." That association was officially
recognized during the administration of President John F. Kennedy by an act of
the Eighty-Seventh Congress which states: "the Congress salutes 'Uncle
Sam' Wilson of Troy, New York, as the progenitor of America's National symbol of
'Uncle Sam.' "
And . . . John F. Kennedy and Sam Wilson spoke phrases
that are strikingly similar. On the eve of the War of 1812, Wilson delivered a
speech and presented a plan on what Americans must do to ensure their country's
greatness: "It starts with every one of us giving a little more, instead
of only taking and getting all the time." That sentiment was eloquently
reiterated in John F. Kennedy's inaugural address: "ask not what America
will do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
# # #
Why are ships
referred to as "she"?
It has long been customary to personify inanimate objects
and attribute to them characteristics peculiar to living creatures—things
without life are often spoken of as being either masculine or feminine.
He, him and his are applied to the sun, to winter, and to
death. Generally those things most dear to us are regarded as feminine. For
example, Mother Earth is regarded as the common maternal parent of all
life. Seamen refer to their ship using the feminine gender—a vessel is always
she or her. This is because the seafaring man depends upon the ship
for protection from the elements and it is dear to him. It is natural he would
compare it with a woman, from whom he is often separated for long periods of
time. In most older languages the names of inanimate objects denote either
masculine or feminine gender. Almost invariably the feminine gender is
attributed to boats and ships as well as to vehicles of all kinds. But the
English language is devoid of nouns with true gender so we use pronouns denoting
sex to personify objects.
# # #
How did the term
"bootlegger" originate?
This term as applied to the illegal selling of liquor,
originated on the Indian reservations in the West. The original bootlegger
peddled booze unlawfully among the Indians. He was so called because he carried
the flasks of liquor in the legs of his boots to hide them from government
officials.
When prohibition laws were enacted in different parts of the country,
any violator of these laws was called a bootlegger.
# # #
What is a slush
fund?
In politics a slush fund is a campaign fund collected to
influence public opinion by improper or illegal means. The term originated in
the British Navy. It was formerly customary on war vessels to sell slush and
other refuse to raise a fund for the benefit of the enlisted men. Originally,
the slush consisted of fat, grease and other refuse from the cook's gallery not
needed for slushing the masts and spars. There is an old verb to slush,
meaning to grease or lubricate with slush. Later the slush fund was raised by
selling worn out equipment, personal effects left on board ships by deserters,
etc. Army camps and garrisons adopted this custom and also raised slush funds.
# # #
Why are white and black balls used for voting in various organizations?
This is a survival of the method used by the ancient
Greeks. In many of their elections the Greeks used an urn to represent each
candidate. Voters would toss a white pebble into the urn of the candidate he
favored and a black one if he wished to vote against him. Many lodges, fraternal
organizations and other groups revived this system, white indicating favoring
membership of a candidate, black for rejection. In some organizations, a single
black ball is sufficient to defeat the candidate; the person cannot become a
member without the approval of the entire membership. Thus, we have the term
to blackball, meaning to reject. The word ballot is derived from
the French ballotte, "little ball."
# # #
Who originated
"Down, but not out"?
This term is a shortened version of: "A man may be
down, but he's never out."—and at one time was the slogan of the Salvation Army. It is said to have
been the suggestion of Elmore Cornell Leffingwell (1878-1942), a noted
newspaperman who served as the Salvation Army's publicity director for several
years.
The saying supposedly originated during the Boer War.
Down and out is an old prizefighting term. A down-and-outer refers to
a person who has been knocked out and has no hope of making a comeback. The
story goes that on one occasion, while food and clothing were being distributed
to people who had been made homeless and penniless by the South African war,
someone referred to the victims as down-and-outers. A Salvation Army
worked reportedly snapped back: "A man may be down, but he's never out."
This expression conveyed so much hope and optimism in plain and simple words
that it was adopted by the Salvation Army and used as their slogan for many
years.
# # #
Why
are naval cadets called "midshipmen"?
This term originated in the British Navy more than 250
years ago. Young men who were going through a course of training to become
officers were routinely assigned quarters amidships on the lower deck.
Thus midshipman came to be applied to cadets or line and executive
officers of the lowest grade in the British Navy. The British practice with
respect to this as well as other ranks was adopted by the American colonies when
they first organized their navy. The cadets at the United States Naval Academy
at Annapolis are still called midshipmen.
# # #
Beer Trivia
-
It was the accepted practice in Babylonia 4,000 years ago
that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his
son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because
their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month" or what
we know today as the "honeymoon".
-
Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a
thumb or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too
cold, and the yeast wouldn't grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb
in the beer is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb".
-
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in
old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind
their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind
your P's and Q's".
-
After consuming a bucket or two of a vibrant brew they
called aul, or ale, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle
often without armor or even shirts. In fact, the term "berserk", which
means "bear shirt" in Norse, eventually took on the meaning of their wild
battles.
-
In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to
water down the navy's rum. Needless to say, the sailors weren't too pleased and
called Admiral Vernon "Old Grog" after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore.
The term "grog" soon began to be used to refer to the watered down drink itself.
When you were drunk on this grog, you were "groggy", a word still in use today.
# # #
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Superstitions And Folk
Beliefs
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Customs
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