For you older guys

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10 years 5 months ago #40416 by OleCowboy
For you older guys was created by OleCowboy
During WWII, U.S. airplanes were armed with belts of bullets which they would shoot during dogfights and on strafing runs. These belts measured 27 feet long, contained hundreds of bullets, and were folded into the wing compartments that fed their machine guns. Often times, the pilots would return from their missions having expended all of their bullets on various targets. They would say, "I gave them the whole nine yards" which meant they had used up all of their ammunition.

Did you know the saying "God willing and the creek don't rise" was in reference to the Creek Indians and not a body of water? It was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. He was a politician and Indian diplomat. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. In his response, he was said to have written, "God willing and the Creek don't rise". Because he capitalized the word "Creek", it is deduced that he was referring to the Creek Indian Tribe and not a body of water.

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". (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint.)

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, but these wigs could not be washed. 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.

In the late 1700's, 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".

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".

Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and dignified woman, as in "Straight laced" wore a tightly tied lace.

Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards, but it was 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".

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. The two words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus, we have the term "gossip".

At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A barmaid'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 phrase "Minding your P's and Q's".
The following user(s) said Thank You: MrMarty51, jtallen83, Libertarian623, NightForce

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10 years 5 months ago - 10 years 5 months ago #40428 by NightForce
Replied by NightForce on topic For you older guys
Cowboy, I've been using those saying for over a half century and thanks to you I now know their origin.... :twothumbs:
Last edit: 10 years 5 months ago by NightForce.

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10 years 5 months ago #40435 by OleCowboy
Replied by OleCowboy on topic For you older guys

NightForce wrote: Cowboy, I've been using those saying for over a half century and thanks to you I now know their origin.... :twothumbs:

Me too, I knew some like the whole 9 yds as that came out of the AAC in WWII and my Dad was career so I heard all of these. Today you say them and folks look at you like you drove up in a flyin saucer..

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10 years 5 months ago #40459 by MrMarty51
Replied by MrMarty51 on topic For you older guys
I like the meanings to them saying, especially "The Whole Nine Yards", that should be made into a mooovie.
Thank You O~L Cowboy for the definitions.

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10 years 5 months ago #40532 by Ranchwagon
Replied by Ranchwagon on topic For you older guys
I've heard them all my life but guess I was wrong about the meaning of any of them. While I get it, I can't image bathing just twice a year. If nothing else I would have to do some detailing in between.

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10 years 5 months ago #40534 by OleCowboy
Replied by OleCowboy on topic For you older guys

Ranchwagon wrote: I've heard them all my life but guess I was wrong about the meaning of any of them. While I get it, I can't image bathing just twice a year. If nothing else I would have to do some detailing in between.

In fact about 2x a year was somewhat commonplace. My dad grew up on a ranch till the depression and dust bowl wiped them out. To take a bath was rare. First you had to have something to bath in, that cost money, LOTS of money for the times. So a small round tub, same one used for washing...a kid could sit in it, but an adult would stand. Then issues 2. Hot water not easy to come by in large qty. Fire had to be outside the house over a built fire pit. Not easy.

So what did they really do? They took a sink bath every night. Wash cloth, some warm water from the tea kettle in a bowl and they washed. In the warm months trips to the creeks was common and often.

In Vietnam I went as long as about a month without a bath (shower). If you got a shower, it was on a mail run to the rear and somebody went out every day. In the monsoon season we were wet from rain all the time and often would just do a stand up bath. Many wore no socks or underwear. I wore socks, and had only 2 pair which I rotated almost daily. My socks were tied on to my rucksack and had C -rats in them. This exposed them to sunshine (UV) and fresh air.

Since leaving Vietnam I take a shower 2x a day and I have broken the ice on a river in order to bathe...

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10 years 5 months ago #40536 by Ranchwagon
Replied by Ranchwagon on topic For you older guys
I guess I was qualifying the old galvanized tub as a bath. Growing up as kid, I was no stranger to the no indoor plumbing and the galvanized tub and tea pot routine.

Fortunately, Dad got a lot better job and he remodeled to include indoor bathrooms and a new kitchen for Mom with running water.

luckily, as a 67NF20, I was posted with a shower. Believe me, I was thankful for that.

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10 years 5 months ago #40537 by OleCowboy
Replied by OleCowboy on topic For you older guys

Ranchwagon wrote: I guess I was qualifying the old galvanized tub as a bath. Growing up as kid, I was no stranger to the no indoor plumbing and the galvanized tub and tea pot routine.

Fortunately, Dad got a lot better job and he remodeled to include indoor bathrooms and a new kitchen for Mom with running water.

luckily, as a 67NF20, I was posted with a shower. Believe me, I was thankful for that.

LOL, I rember well taking baths in the old galvanized round tubs and later a bathtub shaped one, shirts made out of Chicken feed sack cloth. As a kid I don't remember taking many if any baths in the months between April and Sept, we had a large lake on our place. In fact we kept soap and shampoo down at the lake, Mom and sis would go down and bathe, then later me and Dad. Don't remember wearing shoes starting the day after school was out till the day I went back...hated wearing them...Summer was over when you had to put shoes on.

On Sunday we would get up early, head to the lake and cane pole fish all morning long us men folk, women would clean as we caught, had a big fire pit with a huge iron kettle full of oil and about lunch time they started frying fish (bass, perch, cat, etc, hushpuppies and potatoes in that order (the potatoes will clean the fish taste out of the oil). Then go down to the lake and pull watermelon out of the lake. I would float in a inner tube, with a slice of watermelon as big as me it seemed...yep those were the days.

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10 years 5 months ago #40539 by Ranchwagon
Replied by Ranchwagon on topic For you older guys
Sounds like the hardscrabble life. Sounds like one of the southernish states. Dad had grown up that way on a small farm. Guess he had other desires in life and worked his butt off raising us.

By the time I was 10, we moved to the big city and the opportunity for those type of summers ended. Instead, we had to learn to entertain ourselves in the 100 plus heat of Arizona with concrete and blacktop. I ended getting a job just about every summer.

Dad ended up traveling a lot during those years for work (construction) and you had to earn your own money. There were no allowances like today.

I worked part of one summer picking onions at 110 plus to earn enough money to buy my first car. It wasn't much of a car, but it got me around and to better summer jobs.

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10 years 5 months ago #40540 by OleCowboy
Replied by OleCowboy on topic For you older guys

Ranchwagon wrote: Sounds like the hardscrabble life. Sounds like one of the southernish states. Dad had grown up that way on a small farm. Guess he had other desires in life and worked his butt off raising us.

By the time I was 10, we moved to the big city and the opportunity for those type of summers ended. Instead, we had to learn to entertain ourselves in the 100 plus heat of Arizona with concrete and blacktop. I ended getting a job just about every summer.

Dad ended up traveling a lot during those years for work (construction) and you had to earn your own money. There were no allowances like today.

I worked part of one summer picking onions at 110 plus to earn enough money to buy my first car. It wasn't much of a car, but it got me around and to better summer jobs.

WOW, you must have lived in the COOL part of AZ...

When I had my welding/fab shop out in Phoenix, usually about 2 days a week I would weld. Close the doors and windows, turn off fans, put on my heaving clothes and leathers, my helmet and grab the welding gun. The next day I was worthless. Miss the welding/fab but glad to be out from under the hood out there. In the summer the shop would creep up into the 1-teens and with everything shut I would temps around 120+...

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