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:
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
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 (mis)pronounced it
'love.'
4. WHY
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
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
Why do
people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
BECAUSE
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
Why are people in the
public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?
BECAUSE
Invented in
1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theaters 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
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
9. WHY
In golf,
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
‘caddie.’
10. WHY
Why are
many coin collection jar banks shaped like pigs?
BECAUSE
Long ago,
dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a 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.