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 bothlegs 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."
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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. The wigs couldn't be
washed so to
clean them, they could 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.
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In the late 1700s many houses consisted of 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. Once in a while an invited guest would
be
offered to sit in this chair during a meal (who was almost always a
man). To
sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. Sitting in
the
chair, one was called the "chair man." Today in business we use the
expression/title "Chairman or Chairman of the Board"
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Needless to say, 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."
Also,
when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt and therefore
the
expression "losing face."
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Ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front. A tightly
tied lace was worn by a proper and dignified lady as in "straight
laced."
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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."
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Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine What
was
considered important to the people. Since there were no
telephones, tv or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to
local
taverns, pubs and bars who 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."
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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
term
"minding your "'P's and Q's."
So now you know.....
