Fwd: Everyday Phrases & Their Original Meanings

'A SHOT OF WHISKEY'

In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a
glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the
bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a
"shot" of whiskey.

'THE WHOLE NINE YARDS'
American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were fed by a
belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9
yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have
given it the whole nine yards.

'BUYING THE FARM'
This is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life
insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an
average farm so if you died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.

'IRON CLAD CONTRACT'
This came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War. It meant
something so strong it could not be broken.

'PASSING THE BUCK/THE BUCK STOPS HERE'
Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife
company. When playing poker it as common to place one of these Buck
knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was. When
it was time for a new dealer the deck of cards and the knife were
given to the new dealer. If this person didn't want to deal he would
"pass the buck" to the next player. If that player accepted then "the
buck stopped there".

'RIFF RAFF'
The Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from north to
south. Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were
expensive so most people used rafts. Everything had the right of way
over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on the rafts
was called a "riff" and this transposed into riff-raff, meaning low
class.

'COBWEB'
The Old English word for "spider" was "cob".

'SHIP STATE ROOMS'
Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort. Passenger
cabins on the boats were not numbered. Instead they were named after
states. To this day cabins on ships are called staterooms.

'SLEEP TIGHT'
Early beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the
frame in a criss-cross pattern. A straw mattress was then put on top
of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag.
The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep.

'SHOWBOAT'
These were floating theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a
steamboat. These played small town along the Mississippi River. Unlike
the boat shown in the movie "Showboat" these did not have an engine.
They were gaudy and attention-grabbing which is why we say someone who
is being the life of the party is "showboating".

'OVER A BARREL'
In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed face down
over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in a
effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective. If you
are over a barrel you are in deep trouble.

'BARGE IN'
Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed
by steamboats. These were hard to control and would sometimes swing
into piers or other boats. People would say they "barged in".

'HOGWASH'
Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad
they would be washed before being put on board. The mud and other
filth that was washed off was considered useless "hog wash".

'CURFEW'
The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which
means "cover the fire". It was used to describe the time of blowing
out all lamps and candles. It was later adopted into Middle English as
"curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew". In the early
American colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in
the center of the room. In order to make sure a fire did not get out
of control during the night it was required that, by an agreed upon
time, all fires would be covered with a clay pot called-a "curfew".

'BARRELS OF OIL'
When the first oil wells were drilled they had made no provision for
storing the liquid so they used water barrels. That is why, to this
day, we speak of barrels of oil rather than gallons.

'HOT OFF THE PRESS'
As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it
to heat up. Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press it is
hot. The expression means 'to get immediate information'.