Origins of some of our strange customs. WHY: Why do mens clothes have buttons on the right while womens clothes have buttons on the left? BECAUSE: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maids right! And thats where womens buttons have remained since. WHY: Why do ships and aircraft use mayday as their call for help? BECAUSE: This comes from the French word maidez - meaning help me - and is pronounced, approximately, mayday. WHY Why are zero scores in tennis called love? BECAUSE: In France , where tennis became popular, the round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called loeuf, which is French for the egg. When tennis was introduced in the US , Americans (naturally), mispronounced it love. WHY: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast? BECAUSE: In earlier times it used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would only touch or clink the hosts glass with his own. WHY: Why is someone who is feeling great on cloud nine? BECAUSE: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares. WHY: Why are many coin collection jar banks shaped like pigs? BECAUSE: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of dense orange clay called pygg. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as pygg banks. When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig. And it caught on.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 07:36:22 +0000
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