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Apr 17, 2010

SUNDAY FAVORITES - WELL THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING

Chari is having all of us over to her place, Happy to Design, for Sunday Favorites where we show you a post from the past.

Pot de chambre 2Image via Wikipedia
Okay I have no idea if this stuff is true but I thought it was an interesting piece.

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor"
But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot......they "didn’t have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low

Sometimes in the old days, they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When
Bacon frying in bacon grease.Image via Wikipedia
visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers
BreadImage by ulterior epicure via Flickr
got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky... The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.
TankardImage by rpongsaj via Flickr
They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.



England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When
The World Peace Bell in Kentucky.Image via Wikipedia
reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer...


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12 comments:

  1. That was fun to read how those sayings came about.

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  2. WOW that was an interesting read for sure!! How do you come about finding these awesome tidbits you share? Well no matter, they are pretty cool. Hugs. Tammy

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  3. It's always fascinating to learn where expressions come from. They all have history.

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  4. Interesting post! I know the bell on the coffin is true because I saw one in a museum once. The Bell was housed in a small box, similar to a bell tower, attached to the lid of the coffin and there was a string that went down into the coffin.

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  5. Hahaha,great stories. I always wondered where some of those sayings came from.

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  6. A rich man has a canope over the bed,
    A poor man has a can of pee under the bed.

    Interesting facts.

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  7. Oh I hope these are all true-- they are fascinating. I love finding out where "common" expressions came from. Although the one about burying people alive -- now that creeps me out. A personal phobia of mine, and millions of others too I guess. Nightmares tonight!
    Cass

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  8. I love finding out where our expressions come from. The whole 9 yards has many different explanations.

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  9. Catchy sayings make sense... I might share this to my friends too!
    my fave is the bell on the coffin! sounds horrible but interesting!

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  10. This was a fun post! I knew about the graveyard bell thing but, hadn't heard the others. What fun!

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  11. Hi Lori...

    So happy to see you today, Darlin'! You know, I have heard some of these sayings and how they originated...I'm not sure if they're true or not but they certainly are fun and make sence! Hehe! This was such a fun post, my friend! I'm so glad that you decided to share it with us today for Sunday Favorites...what a hoot!!!

    Hope that you're having a super Sunday!
    Chari @Happy To Design

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  12. You have the most interesting facts....Saved by the bell....I have to remember that one....the bone yard...hmmmm , never knew.
    You make me so smart !
    I am catching up on blogs - I love your flower pictures , "cruise" photos and the pork roast....yummo !
    Hope you have a fantastic week !
    Kammy
    p.s. I am weaning myself from Farmville....LOL ! (they don't let me use spray paint...so mean....so mean....)

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