An e-mail arrived recently covering all sorts of interesting "facts". Some of the "facts" dealt with how certain words and phrases found their way into the English language. I can't vouch for the accuracy of what follows, but it makes for interesting reading. (For all I know, the explanations may be accurate.)
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Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only... Ladies Forbidden'... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed
firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase.... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 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, which
we know as today as the honey moon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England,
when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your
pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase 'mind
your P's and Q's.'
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Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the
rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they
used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase
inspired by this practice."