Interesting Factoids.....Post them Here

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 get some service.

"Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

In the early 1800's it was legal for men to beat their wives as long as they used a stick no wider than their thumb.

Hence the phrase, "rule of thumb"

Bananas can help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

I'll keep that one in mind Sandie.

Here's a rather silly and pointless one: most houseflys hum in the key of F.

ok,im in.youve all heard the term so cold it can freeze the balls of a brass monkey.no,its not what you think.in the days of sailing ships the british navy had to pile the cannon balls near the cannons so they were readily available.they used a piece of cast brass with hollows in it that fit the cannon balls.the balls were then piled on the,yes you guessed it, "brass monkey".when it got real cold the brass would contract and the cannon balls would fall off. hence the term,freeze the balls of a brass monkey. only the brits eh?

Very interesting indeed Aldan. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by 7thsinger

In the early 1800's it was legal for men to beat their wives as long as they used a stick no wider than their thumb.

Hence the phrase, "rule of thumb"

That was also on a programme the other day about a small british Isle and its still legal there! I also heard that when i went to see a comic he told us the history of it.

Its nice to know how some of these daft sayings came about so please keep them coming peeps as they are rather interesting

Thanks for those who have shared so far
Linny

The ozone layer is only about 3mm deep. :scared:

Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His parents thought he might be retarded.
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both frontlegs in the air, the person died in battle;
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle;
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.
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The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley.

Very good thread Sandi,very interesting