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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 showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his
back while others showed both legs 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. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean
them they would 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 folded down from the wall, and was used
for dining. The "head of the household" always sat in the
chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a
guest, who was 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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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." In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax
would melt therefore, the expression "losing face."
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Ladies
wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and dignified
woman . as in "straight laced" wore a tightly tied lace.
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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 the people
considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios,
the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars.
They 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."
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