'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.
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.
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-raft, 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 crisscross 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 towns 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 an 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 were
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, there was 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
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