These facts are rather interesting and worth reading.
Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notched
edges, while pennies and nickels do not?
The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold
and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of
the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched
because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched
because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.
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Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes
have buttons on the left?
When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily
by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers
put the buttons on the maid's right. Since most people are right-handed, it's easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left.
And that's where women's buttons have remained since.
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Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?
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.
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Why is shifting responsibility to someone else is called "passing the
buck"?
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, he would "pass the
buck" to the next player.
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Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
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 then touch - or
clink - the host's glass with his own.
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Why are people in the public eye are said to be "in the limelight"?
Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting
by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a
brilliant light. In the theater, performers on stage "in the limelight"
were seen by the audience to be the center of attention.
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Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for
help?
This comes from the French word m'aidez -- meaning "help me" --and is
pronounced "mayday."
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Why is someone who is feeling great "on cloud nine"?
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.
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Why is Zero scores in tennis are called "love"?
In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on
scoreboard looked like an egg and was called l'oeuf,
which is French for "egg." When tennis was introduced in the US,
Americans pronounced it "love,"
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Why are many coin banks are shaped like pigs?
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 know as "pygg banks." When an English potter misunderstood
the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.
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How did a golf caddie get the name?
When Mary, later Queen of Scots, went to France as a young girl (for
education & survival) Louis, King of France, learned that
she loved the Scot game golf. So he had the first golf course outside of
Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly
chaperoned (and guarded) while she played Louis ordered 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' & the Scots bastardized
it into caddie.
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