# Interesting History



## Adam-tt (Apr 3, 2010)

Where did "piss poor" come from ?

We older people need to learn something new every day...

Just to keep the grey matter tuned up.

Where did "Piss Poor" come from? Interesting History.

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot.

And then once it was full it was taken and 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" and were the lowest of the low.

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature Isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.

Here are some facts about the 1500's

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May,

And they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell, Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.

Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.

The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water,

Then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children.

Last of all the babies.

By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.

Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath.

It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof.

When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs." There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.

This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings

Could mess up your nice clean bed.

Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection.

That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.

Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery In the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing.

As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, It would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.

Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables And did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers In the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day.

Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while.

Hence the rhyme:

"Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old". Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.

When 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.

Those with money had plates made of pewter.

Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death.

This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status.

Workers 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. 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 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".

And that's the truth.

Now, whoever said History was boring!!! So get out there and educate someone! ~~~

Share these facts with a friend. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering,

'What the heck happened?'

We'll be friends until we are old and senile.

Then we'll be new friends.

Smile, it gives your face something to do!

Soon we'll all be Piss Poor


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

A very interesting read!!

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## BrianR (Oct 12, 2011)

Loved it!


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## Rocketr (Jul 1, 2012)

Lol awesome info! 
Please sir, can I have some more?


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

I think we need to keep this thread going anyone else got any good facts?

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## Adam-tt (Apr 3, 2010)

When you pulled the trigger on your flintlock rifle and only the powder in the pan went off without igniting the main charge, it was called "flash in the pan."

If you sold your entire rifle, and not just the parts, you sold it "lock, stock and barrel."

And of course "straight as a ram rod" came from the the loading rod used to stuff the powder charge down the barrel.


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## YELLOW_TT (Feb 25, 2004)

The origin of the word POSH 
When the rich first started going on ocean cruises the very rich would take the port side of the ship on the outward leg and the starboard on the home leg this ment they had the cooler side of the ship both outward and homeward. This was shortened to port out starboard home and they would have P.O.S.H after ther names on the passenger list


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## techfreak (Aug 13, 2010)

I enjoyed reading this. Thanks


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## KammyTT (Jun 28, 2006)

Fantastic!!

I love these acronyms.


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## KammyTT (Jun 28, 2006)

YELLOW_TT said:


> The origin of the word POSH
> When the rich first started going on ocean cruises the very rich would take the port side of the ship on the outward leg and the starboard on the home leg this ment they had the cooler side of the ship both outward and homeward. This was shortened to port out starboard home and they would have P.O.S.H after ther names on the passenger list


I heard a lot these nautical acronyms from a guy I worked with but can't remember them


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

What is meant by the percentage proof on alcohol.

This system dates to the 18th century, and perhaps earlier, when spirits were graded with gunpowder: A solution of water and alcohol "proved" itself when it could be poured on a pinch of gunpowder and the wet powder could still be ignited. If it didn't ignite, the solution had too much water in it and the proof was considered low or "underproof".

A "proven" solution was defined as 100 degrees proof (100°). This has since been found to occur at 57.15% ethanol. This is still used as the British definition. A simpler ratio to remember is 7:4, i.e. 70° proof is approximately 40% alcohol by volume. Thus pure alcohol is approximately 175 degrees proof (175°).

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## YoungOldUn (Apr 12, 2011)

The urine of bishops was collected for the use during the manufacture of black powder during the 14th/15th century. Bishops urine was considered to be of a superior nature due to the copious amount of wine which they consumed. After the main powdered ingredients had been mixed urine was added until the mixture formed a paste it was then moulded into balls. When was required for use, the balls were broken up using a pestle and mortar.


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## BrianR (Oct 12, 2011)

I heard these recently

I always thought P's and Q's came from saying please and thank you however - ,apparently in old English pubs you would order beer by pints or quarts - hence mind your P's and Q's

Also the 'Rule of thumb', you couldn't beat your wife after the 1400's if your stick was thicker than your thumb!!! :lol: :lol:


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

I use a snooker cue but I've got big thumbs 

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