[OT] Some Interesting Trivia: The Shot Glass

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

Is it me or has the internet just been created to shatter peoples happy illusions.

Considering it starts three times as many rumors as it stops, I'd say it is ahead of the game.

-BG

PS note that "three times" is not based on any study or any scientific principle. It was a guess, a number pulled out of thin clear air and has no bearing in fact. If one were to conduct a survey to determine the ratio of "rumors started" to "rumors squashed" the 3:1 figure would only arise out of happy co-incidence. This has been rumor control.

PPS Fnord.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

"Fnord"

Where did that come from?

 

[der_kluge]

Re: Re: [OT] Some Interesting Trivia: The Shot Glass

The streets are very dirty, my shoes are very thin.
I have a little pocket to put a penny in.
If you haven't got a penny, a ha' penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha' penny then God bless you.

That's interesting. I recall a slightly different lyric. I can't for the life of me recall the first line, but the second, that I used to sing as a kid, was "Please to put a penny in an old man's hat".

The 3rd and 4th lines were the same, except for the "then" in the 4th line was omitted.

 

[Doc_Souark]

My favourite but of trivia is about the where the expression "Brass monkey weather" (as in "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey") came from.

Do American's use that expression or is it just an British thing?

I've heard "Cold as a well diggers ass" and "as cold as a witch's tit in a brass bra" but never that one

 

[Drawmack]

The two that I want to know the origin of are S**t eating grin and S**t faced, what kind of a sick twisted individual thought those up?

On a related note I'd like to meet the guy who invented sliced bread. You see he was down in the basement for months. Then finally he got it right came up the stairs and said, "Look, it's the greatest thing since...." What? What was there before sliced bread?

On another related note when I die I want to meet the second guy who tried garlic. Here is what happened two nomadic neadrethals that we'll call Joe and Bob were walking around somewhere in modern day Itally when they came across a small plant. Joe smelled the plany and it smelled good. So as was the custom back then Joe took a bite of the leaf. It tasted okay and he suffered no ill effects so he picked it. Upon picking the plant he saw a bulbous root. So he brushed the dirt off and took a bite. Then he proceeded to jump around yelling ow and fanning his mouth. When he was done with this he held the plant out and said, "Here Bob try this."

I want to meet Bob.

 

[DerianCypher]

I want to meet Bob.

...I don't get it.

 

[Samothdm]

Origin of Tapas

I always thought the origin of Spanish tapas was interesting. The word comes from the verb tapar ("to cover"). Bartenders/inn-keepers used to place a piece of bread or cured ham on top of a glass of wine or sherry to keep road-dust and other things out of the glass.

And, www.snopes.com is a great site for confirming whether or not rumours like these are true. Every time I get one of those "Hey, my friend knows a guy who woke up in a bathtub full of ice with his kidney removed!" e-mails, I always direct them to Snopes.

Of course, they're always bitter afterwards to find out that the stories they're peddling have been around in some form or another for the past 20 years or more.

 

[Samothdm]

You should also check out this site which gives explanations for many of the phrases that all of you are looking for (such as Brass Monkey and Drawmack's grins and faces).

Can't find one yet for Shot Glass although what I did find so far suggests that the word "shot" was in use in Europe in the 1800s in reference to a drink of alcohol.

 

[Angcuru]

"Fnord"

Where did that come from?

FNORD! If you don't know, it's already too late.

"I'm sorry, Neo. We have a rule. We don't free a mind once it has reached a certain age. The mind has trouble letting go..."

 

[Sejs]

Where did that come from?

I'm sorry, sir. You're not cleared for that.