IMPORTANT STUFF
1. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When pulling on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer. That's where the phrase, "good night, sleep tight" came from.
2. The term "the whole 9 yards" came from W.W.II fighter pilots in the Pacific. The .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts their planes were armed with measured exactly 27 feet. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it received "the whole 9 yards."
3. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that a man could not beat his wife with anything wider than his thumb.
4. The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for general purpose vehicle, or GP.
5. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after a couple's wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all of the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer,
and because the Babylonian calendar was lunar, this period was called the "honey month," or what we know today as the "honeymoon."
6. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got rowdy, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your Ps and Qs."
7. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to call for service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this ancient practice.
8. The term "snafu" comes from W.W.II: situation normal, all fucked up.
