Why do they say that?

bergie

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'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.



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.



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.



IRON CLAD CONTRACT
This came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War. It meant something so strong it could not be broken.



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 was 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".



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.



COBWEB
The Old English word for "spider" was "cob".



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.



SLEEP TIGHT
Early beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the frame in a criss-cross pattern. A straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep.



SHOWBOAT
These were floating theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a steamboat. These played small town along the Mississippi River. Unlike the boat shown in the movie "Showboat" these did not have an engine. They were gaudy and attention grabbing which is why we say someone who is being the life of the party is "showboating".



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.



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".



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".



CURFEW
The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means "cover the fire". It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles. It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew". In the early American colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the center of the room. In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during the night it was required that, by an agreed upon time, all fires would be covered with a clay pot called-a "curfew".



BARRELS OF OIL
When the first oil wells were drilled they had made no provision for storing the liquid so they used water barrels. That is why, to this day, we speak of barrels of oil rather than gallons.



HOT OFF THE PRESS
As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it to heat up. Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press it’s hot. The expression means to get immediate information.
 
That's great. I always wanted to know this.

So what does up the river without a paddle mean? :laughing:
 
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 was 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".

Hoyt Buck produced the first Buck knife in 1902. Later with his eldest son Al set up shop as H.H. Buck and Son in 1945. Following his father's death, it became Buck Knives Inc. in 1961.
 
Hoyt Buck produced the first Buck knife in 1902. Later with his eldest son Al set up shop as H.H. Buck and Son in 1945. Following his father's death, it became Buck Knives Inc. in 1961.
That one caught my attention too.

I found a similar and more likely explanation.

"Anyone who avoids making decisions or accepting responsibility is said to pass the buck. This all starts from the old days of card playing in which piece of buckshot is placed before someone who has the deal. The dealer has a lot of responsibility on determining the game's format. If a cautious player doesn't want to take on this responsibility, he's allowed to "pass the buck" to the next player who will be the dealer. "
 
Here's a couple I learned sailing.

"Three sheets to the wind" refers to sailing in high wind conditions where a boat is in danger of capsizing.
The lines (ropes) used for pulling in the sails are called sheets.
When totally out of control all three sheets were released 'to the wind'.

My favorite is:
"Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey" :shock:
The old sailing ships stored their canon balls on a brass plate with indentations that allowed them to be piled in a pyramid shape.
The brass plate was called a monkey.
Since the brass would contract in cold weather more than the steel canon balls, in realy cold weather the balls would be frozen off the brass monkey:D
 
How about this! S.H.I._. (trying to keep this family friendly) Centuries ago, shipping invoices that carried manure in the holds of their ships were to" Ship High In Transit" in the top of the hold. If the manure was shipped in the bottom of the hold, methane built up and was very volatile to explosion or fire!
 
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