What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?
A. Honey
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father’s Day
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."
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. Or as we know it today as the honeymoon.
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"
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.
One Comment
Ps and Qs could also be a different type of warning to customers. When drinks were chalked up “on the slate” landlords weren’t averse to adding a couple of extra chalk marks in the pints and quarts columns. It’s therefore a warning to check your bill!
“Wet your whistle” could also be a slang term for the throat or mouth that has been in use for hundreds of years. Chaucer makes reference to the phrase in his Canterbury Tales when describing someone who’d over-indulged – so was her jolly whistle well y wet.
Elaine Saunders
Author: A Book About Pub Names
http://www.completetext.com/ebooks.html