Truth is the secret of
eloquence and of virtue, the basis of moral authority; it is the
highest summit of art and of life.
Henri Frédéric
Amiel (1821–1881)
Most people got
married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still
smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell so
brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the
custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. Baths consisted
of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege
of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women
and finally the children-last of all the babies. By then the water was
so dirty you could actually lose someone in it - hence the saying, "Don't
throw the baby out with the bath water."
Houses had thatched
roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only
place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small
animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery
and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof - hence the
saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed
a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really
mess up your nice clean bed - hence, a bed with big posts And a sheet
hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came
into existence.
The floor was dirt.
Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt
poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery
in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to
help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more
thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside.
A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway - hence, a "thresh
hold."
And that's the truth...
(and whoever said that History was boring)
But
check here first http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/1500.htm
Then
you could always check out "the tunnel" the total transportainment
experience! Unfortunately this site has been removed!
Very sad, as it was a good example. I will replace it in the
next few days with another example.
http://www.goldengatetunnel.com/
But
which of these sites is legitimate?
http://www.ayleeorgnet.com/
Boilerplate
the 18th Century Robot http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/
Bonsai
Kittens http://www.bonsaikitten.com
Stick
Insect Appreciation Society http://brookview.karoo.net/Stick_Insects/
Velcro
Harvest http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
Frownies
are now Copyright! http://www.despair.com/frownies.html
http://www.d-b.net/dti
For
more check out this site http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoaxsites.html
