Dispatched from Home – Why We Say What We Say.

Those who know me know that I love an old saying. I think I got this from my sweet Granny from D”Lo, who had a saying for everything.

Big hug, y’all!

Did you know the saying “God willing and the Creek don’t rise” was about the Creek Indians and not a body of water? Benjamin Hawkins wrote it 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.

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In George Washington’s days, there were no cameras. One’s image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington show him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back, while others show both his legs and arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted but on 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)

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As incredible as it sounds, in the 17th and 18th Centuries, men and women seldom took baths, which they considered unhealthy. They seldom washed their hair either. Women kept their hair cut short to the scalp, while men shaved their heads. They did this to try and help prevent infestations of bugs and lice in the wigs they wore, which was not always successful. The wealthy could afford good wigs made from wool. They didn’t wash the wigs, so to clean them and kill the bugs, they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would kill the bugs and 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 powerful and wealthy.

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In the late 1700s, many houses had 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. Occasionally, a guest, 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.”

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Before the age of acne medicines and creams in the 17th and 18th Centuries, many women and men were left with terrible scars. Those wealthy enough to do so would spread bee’s wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they spoke to each other, if someone began to stare at their face due to wax, they were told: “to mind your own bee’s wax.” Sometimes, the wax would crack, hence the term “crack a smile.” In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt. Hence the expression “losing face.”

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In the days of old, ladies wore corsets, which laced up in the front. A proper and dignified woman who wore her corset tightly laced was referred to as being “straight-laced.” Now, that term refers to someone who is prim and proper to the point of being priggish.

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Early politicians sought feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TVs, or radios in those days, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were instructed to listen to the people’s conversations about their political concerns. The assistants were told, “You go sip here” and “You go sip there.” The words go and sip were eventually combined when referring to people’s thoughts and opinions, thus the term gossip.

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Back in the day, 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.”

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In the heyday of sailing ships, all warships carried iron cannons that fired iron cannonballs. It was necessary to keep a good supply of them near the cannons. A storage method was devised to prevent the balls from rolling about the deck. A pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four balls, then on nine, all of which rested on a base of sixteen balls, was found to be the best method. Thus, 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area near the cannons. To prevent the bottom layer of balls from rolling from under the other balls, an iron base called a “monkey” was incorporated. It had 16 round indentations. However, it was soon discovered that the monkey needed to be made of brass because the iron balls quickly rusted to a monkey made of iron due to salty air and water. Hence, the iron monkey became a brass monkey. The brass monkey was not without problems – it contracted faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, the brass indentations shrunk when the temperature dropped, causing the iron cannonballs to dislodge from the brass monkey. Thus, it was literally “Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.” (And all this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn’t you? Don’t lie and say you did! 😂🤣🤣)

(Originally posted December 9, 2016)