Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
Old No7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3573
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:06 pm
Location: Southern Maine

Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Old No7 »

Thought this would be interesting to post here... :wink:

Old No7

Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

1... WHY do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?

BECAUSE
When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right! And that's where women's buttons have remained since.

2 ... WHY do ships and aircraft use 'mayday' as their call for help?

BECAUSE
This comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning 'help me' - and is pronounced, approximately, 'mayday.'

3 ... WHY are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?

BECAUSE
In France , where tennis became popular, the round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is French for 'the egg.' When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans (naturally), mispronounced it 'love.'

4 ... WHY do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?

BECAUSE
In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

5 ... WHY is shifting responsibility to someone else called passing the buck'?

BECAUSE
In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would 'pass the buck' to the next player.

6 ... WHY do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

BECAUSE
In earlier times it used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would only touch or clink the host's glass with his own.

7... WHY are people in the public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?

BECAUSE
Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a performer 'in the limelight' was the Centre of attention.

8 ... WHY is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?

BECAUSE
Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

9 ... WHY in golf, and where did the term 'Caddie' come from?

BECAUSE
When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scots game 'golf.' He had the first course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her.

Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced 'ca-day' and the Scots changed it into 'cad-die'.

10 ... WHY are many coin collection jar banks shaped like pigs?

BECAUSE
Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of dense orange clay called 'pygg'. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as 'pygg banks.' When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

AND as a Finale...

... WHY was Louis Armstrong nicknamed "Satchmo"?

A grandson of slaves, a boy was born in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans known as the "Back of Town." His father abandoned the family when the child was an infant. His mother became a prostitute and the boy and his sister had to live with their grandmother. Early in life he proved to be gifted for music and with three other kids he sang in the streets of New Orleans. His first gains were coins that were thrown to them.

A Jewish family, Karnofsky, who had emigrated from Lithuania to the USA, had pity for the 7-year-old boy and brought him into their home. Initially giving him 'work' in the house, in exchange to feed the hungry child. There he remained and slept in this Jewish family's home where, for the first time in his life, he was treated with kindness and tenderness.

When he went to bed, Mrs. Karnovsky sang him a Russian lullaby that he would sing with her. Later, he learned to sing and play several Russian and Jewish songs. Over time, this boy became the adopted son of this family. The Karnofskys gave him money to buy his first musical instrument; as was the custom in the Jewish families. They sincerely admired his musical talent. Later, when he became a professional musician and composer, he used these Jewish melodies in compositions, such as St. James Infirmary and Go Down Moses.

The little black boy grew up and wrote a book about this Jewish family who had adopted him in 1907. In memory of this family and until the end of his life, he wore a Star of David and said that in this family, he had learned "How to live real life and determination."

Louis Armstrong proudly spoke fluent Yiddish.

And "Satchmo"... Is Yiddish for "Big Cheeks".

= = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Freedom and the Second Amendment... One cannot exist without the other." © 2000 DTH
Pete44ru
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 11242
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:26 am

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Pete44ru »

.

Who knew ? (kewl beans)


.
User avatar
fordwannabe
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3369
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:52 am
Location: Womelsdorf PA

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by fordwannabe »

Thanks for sharing that. I LOVE trivia.
a Pennsylvanian who has been accused of clinging to my religion and my guns......Good assessment skills.
jnyork
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 4412
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:33 pm
Location: Wyoming and Arizona

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by jnyork »

Great post . Thanks.
Bill in Oregon
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 8850
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:05 am
Location: Sweetwater, TX

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Bill in Oregon »

All news to me. Gracias, amigo!
User avatar
Blaine
Posting leader...
Posts: 30495
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:22 pm
Location: Still Deciding

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Blaine »

8) 8) 8)
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First

Proud Life Member Of:
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
Bullard4075
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1237
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:14 pm
Location: Billings, Montana

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Bullard4075 »

The last was the best. :)
"Any man who covers his face and packs a gun is a legitimate target for any decent citizen"
Jeff Cooper
User avatar
Ysabel Kid
Moderator
Posts: 27790
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: South Carolina, USA
Contact:

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Ysabel Kid »

Pete44ru wrote: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:06 am .

Who knew ? (kewl beans)


.
Not me!

Very cool! 8)
Image
piller
Posting leader...
Posts: 15189
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:49 pm
Location: South of Dallas

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by piller »

Very cool. There are some people who have been helped pup or bat circumstances and have risen to greatness.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
User avatar
earlmck
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3423
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:10 am
Location: pert-neer middle of Oregon

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by earlmck »

Good things to know. Now if I could count on remembering them... Thanks for the edification, 7.
The greatest patriot...
is he who heals the most gullies.
Patrick Henry
Daisyman
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 421
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:24 am

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Daisyman »

I'm 72 and I've never heard of any of those. Always a great day when you learn something new. I'm with earlmck, now if I could just remember them. 8)
User avatar
rodeo kid
Levergunner 3.0
Posts: 639
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:08 pm
Location: Dale, Oklahoma

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by rodeo kid »

Very neat,thanks for posting the info. God Bless.⛪
Member : NRA
Oklahoma Rifle Assoc.
NPPAS

TRUISM: if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. So, my advice is: Buy more guns!
User avatar
Old Ironsights
Posting leader...
Posts: 15084
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:27 am
Location: Waiting for the Collapse
Contact:

Re: Answers to Some "WHY" Questions...

Post by Old Ironsights »

I wonder if Sammy Davis Jr. knew of the Satch's "Jewish background"...

https://youtu.be/UkHvw5eP5zU?t=262
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough.
מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976
Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
Post Reply