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Post by goodgrief on Feb 6, 2015 12:45:10 GMT -5
I have no idea how true these are.
A "SHOT" OF WHISKEY
In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey.
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 7, 2015 9:26:35 GMT -5
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were fed by a belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9 yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the whole nine yards.
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 8, 2015 13:08:39 GMT -5
BUYING THE FARM
This is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.
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Post by Schmoopy1000 on Feb 9, 2015 1:24:34 GMT -5
I like these. Keep them coming
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 9, 2015 16:03:46 GMT -5
PASSING THE BUCK/THE BUCK STOPS HERE
Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife company. When playing poker it as common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was. When it was time for a new dealer the deck of cards and the knife were given to the new dealer. If this person didn't want to deal he would "pass the buck" to the next player. If that player accepted then “the buck stopped there".
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 9, 2015 16:04:32 GMT -5
I like these. Keep them coming Glad you are enjoying them.
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 14, 2015 11:10:52 GMT -5
RIFF RAFF
The Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from north to south. Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were expensive so most people used rafts. Everything had the right of way over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on the rafts was called a “riff" and this transposed into riff-raff, meaning low class.
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 19, 2015 12:01:08 GMT -5
OVER A BARREL
In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in a effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective. If you are over a barrel you are in deep trouble.
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 24, 2015 13:39:00 GMT -5
BARGE IN
Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed by steamboats. These were hard to control and would sometimes swing into piers or other boats. People would say they "barged in".
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 25, 2015 16:16:16 GMT -5
SHIP STATE ROOMS
Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort. Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered. Instead they were named after states. To this day cabins on ships are called staterooms.
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Post by goodgrief on Feb 27, 2015 14:43:04 GMT -5
COBWEB
The Old English word for "spider" was "cob".
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Post by Tom Pearce on Feb 28, 2015 14:51:21 GMT -5
Thanks GoodGrief. This is a nice series.
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14fan
Full Member
Posts: 192
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Post by 14fan on Mar 1, 2015 13:02:51 GMT -5
Thanks GoodGrief. This is a nice series. Thank You Tom.
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Post by Yogisd1 on Mar 1, 2015 13:36:50 GMT -5
An Army vs. Navy football game around the turn of last century, Navy was a heavy favorite. The night before some enterprising cadets decided to capture the Navy mascot. The next morning, the midshipmen went to feed the mascot, and he was gone. In a panic they started looking for the mascot, and telling their supporters to help them look. It was to no avail. Army defeated the heavily favored but demoralized Navy team. That is why, to this day, you never want to let anyone "Get your goat."
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Post by goodgrief on Mar 4, 2015 14:14:13 GMT -5
HOGWASH
Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board. The mud and other filth that was washed off was considered useless "hog wash".
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