Videos about history including the history of towns and villages in Hampshire. Also, videos debunking myths about history and some about the history of food, and the history of women
Same here. I remember people saying parky but the word seems to have gone out of use. Incidentally, the word parky meaning cold was first recorded in 1797 when a man called Thomas Twining used it in a letter. Nobody is sure why but in those days a park did not mean a nicely cultivated green area. In the North of England, it meant a green area outside of town. Parky may have meant cold because the park was likely to be windy and exposed and therefore cold.
Very interesting when you hear the origins of some of these sayings quite a lot come from Naval history as do many Nick Names. But most of the sayings when you hear their true meanings makes sense. "Now the Penny drops"! You finally understand. Not sure where that one came from. LOL
Didn't do tenterhooks. When cloth was dyed it could shrink, so to stop that happening the edges of the cloth was put on hooks which were spread out under tension. Looked like a load of washing lines.
Boniface was a man’s name. People were sometimes given their father’s name as their surname. The word land once meant an area of land in a forest cleared for farming. Someone who lived there might be given the surname land or lands. But there is also a place Launde in Leicestershire. Wenks is a Germanic surname.
You know the saying Pinch punch first day of the month and no return - some people used to follow that by replying Rabbit, rabbits, rabbits - any idea why that might have been the case please?
Apparently, it was once a custom to say rabbit, rabbit, rabbit on the first day of the month before you said anything else for good luck. Nobody is sure why rabbits were associated with good luck, perhaps because they were once associated with fertility and new life. (Some people used to carry a rabbit's foot for good luck). By the early 20th century if a child said pinch punch first day of the month the other child would often reply 'rabbit, rabbit, rabbit' or just 'white rabbit' to ward off bad luck. It seems like the two customs merged together. This article explains it a bit more: www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/read-this/this-is-why-people-say-white-rabbit-on-the-1st-of-a-new-month-2957603
The old saying, "a different kettle of fish", is stating that there are two or more options! People who used the long ovel pan with a lid, often cooked other foods with the Fish. Some put Vegetables with it, others only used herbs with the fish. Hence, "Different Kettle of Fish". I love root meanings. 👍
I heard that “rule of thumb” had a more sinister origin: the thumb was the measure, of the stick by which a husband could beat his wife! Once upon a time, it was considered fair game, to beat a wife deemed unsatisfactory in some way! 😔
I just checked on a search engine, and it quotes a decision by a judge from. A couple of hundred years ago: A commonly heard alternative, however, states the 'rule of thumb' was the creation of 18th-century English judge, Sir Francis Buller. He ruled (supposedly) that a man is legally permitted to beat his wife, provided he uses a stick no thicker than his thumb.
@@karphin1 Yes. This claim has been debunked many times. There has never been a rule or a law in England that a man is entitled to beat his wife provided he uses a stick no thicker than his thumb. William Blackstone (1723-80) wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769). He made no mention of a supposed rule that a stick could be used to hit your wife if it was not thicker than a thumb. So it was never a part of English common law. In fact, the earliest known use of the phrase was in 1658 by a preacher called James Durham. He said: 'Many professed Christians are like to foolish builders, who build by guess, and by rule of thumb and not by Square and Rule'.
The truth is that it was CLAIMED by his enemies that Francis Buller made such a ruling about sticks. There is no evidence that he ever did. In any case the phrase rule of thumb was used long before Francis Buller was even born. These words were written in 1692 by Sir William Hope: 'What he doth, he doth by rule of Thumb, and not by Art'.
Having worked in dentistry all my life and also having kept horses,I can tell you that it's not just horses that get long in the tooth, it's we humans too. Unless we're very careful how we brush ,gums will shrink back exposing the neck of the tooth which makes them look longer and loosens teeth especially as we age. So, don't forget folks, brush " gum to tooth" and keep your teeth longer by making them look shorter😁😁
"Not enough room to swing a cat" used to disturb me. I envisioned people swinging cats around by their tail. apparently it is not about a domestic cat but the cat of nine tails. The rope whip which the British Navy used to discipline wayward sailors. not cruelty animals just cruelty to seaman.
Like several other phrases, it began in the USA in the 19th century. It was probably just a jokey phrase contrasting the two extremes of Hell (full of flames) with high water. It has alliteration which makes it memorable.
A bit missing in your crocodile tears saying when croc chomp down on anything whatever's in their mouth presses on it's tear ducts making it seem to cry,
You have taught me the origins of many sayings. Thank you. I always thought the expression “a load of red tape” came from the beginning and end of audio tape. There was always a section of red tape to wind round the reel which could not be recorded on, so seemed unnecessary.
There are 3 possibilities. The old English words snow dun meant snow hill. There are places called Snowden in Yorkshire and Snowdon in Devon. There is also a village called Snow End in Hertfordshire but in the Middle Ages, it was called Snowdon. It changed its name. Your ancestors could have come from any of them.
Really interesting hearing the origins of sayings that are so familiar. I've only one queery: 'The cat's out the bag' I've long believed to be a naval term from when the 'cat o nine tails' was taken 'out the bag' meant some poor soul was about to be flogged.
It's unlikely because taking a cat o'nine tails out of a bag does not mean revealing a secret or deception. In my view cheating a customer by giving them a bag with a cat in it is much more likely.
About that nail, King John's Hunting Lodge in Axebridge has one. It was originally in the marketplace, where lighting was poor, so as coins slid down the surface, a seller could get a more accurate count. In the US, we say cash on the barrel head. There were not enough foundries close enough to towns to provide nails, so they used empty barrels for the same purpose. Many of those barrels likely had contained whiskey.
Whilst I agreed with most of your origins, coming from the north-east, I believe that “sea coal” doesn’t mean coal shipped by sea from Newcastle but is a description of what the poor used to do in order to heat their homes … they went to the beaches in the north-east and picked up the pieces of coal that used to be washed up from the under-sea strata.
@reubenwoodley96 Thank you! The phrase in such dumps or in your dumps dates from the 16th century. In the 18th century it had become the phrase 'down in the durmps'. I had never heard the expression 'as happy as a clam'. Apparently it comes from the Northwest USA and was first recorded in 1833. It may be shortened from 'as happy as a clam at high water'.
That is a popular myth. There never was such a rule or law in England. William Blackstone wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769). He made no mention of a supposed rule that a stick could be used to hit your wife if it was not thicker than a thumb. So it was never a part of English common law.
Rule of thumb comes from windmills, when a skilled miller set the grinding stones up and ran through the first grain. They would collect a sample from around the edge of the stones between thumb and finger to get a gauge on how fine or coarse the flour would be. To get a good batch quality it was up to the millers experience rather than science, using his rule of thumb!
@@EvolutionRich I heard a similar story about brewers using their thumbs to measure the temperature of brewing beer. Of course it may have come from more than one occupation.
I don’t know about the origin of the phrase, but rope bedsteads under mattresses (with a tightening mechanism) were used commonly through at least the 1870’s in the American West. Examples can still be seen in the restored Cove Fort in Utah.
