MEANINGS BEHIND SAYINGS (Part 3)

Here's some fun for the day...........

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
Which U.S. President appears on the far left of Mount Rushmore?

BRAIN TEASER:
Imagine you're swimming in the ocean and a bunch of hungry sharks surround you.   How do you get out alive?

JOKE:
Q:  Why did the lady go outdoors with her purse open?
A:  Because she expected some change in the weather.

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:
Why do we put suits in a garment bag and put garments in a suitcase?


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Trust God to help you turn setbacks into comebacks.

MEANINGS BEHINDS SAYINGS

The phrase: 
GREEN-EYED MONSTER

Jealousy has often been referred to as the 'green-eyed monster'.    The origin of this saying goes back to William Shakespeare.   Theatergoers probably didn't realize what a good thing they had when the plays of Shakespeare first hit the stage.   But I'm sure it didn't take long for them to realize that he talked and wrote like no one before or since.

While trying to come up with a vivid description for jealousy, the Bard of Avon ( as Shakespeare was often referred to as) remembered that many cats have green eyes.  He appeared to consider cats to be cruel and vindictive.

Therefore, in Othello (Act III), he called jealousy the green-eyed monster - comparing it with a cat that to a human appears to play with the bird or mole it has captured and is about to eat.

So what happens if you're feeling green or looking green?   If this is after a burrito covered in bacon and cheese that you eat while riding a roller coaster it's usually not a sign of jealousy.  But....you may want to find the nearest bathroom or trash can.


The phrase:

LET ONE'S HAIR DOWN

For decades, Paris has been the fashion center of the western world.  Customs and sayings that originate there often become more firmly-rooted in England and America than France.

Noted entertainers and wives of wealthy nobleman have long vied with each other in creating new and elaborate hair styles.  It was once considered a serious breach of etiquette to appear in public without a coiffeur that required hours of work.   Only in intimacy of private quarters would a noble woman of the Napoleonic era relax by letting her hair down.

Moves towards pulling out pins and unbinding tresses came to be associated with relaxation.  So any time inhibitions are discarded these days, we say someone 'let their hair down'

This phrase is not to be confused with 'let one's hare down'.   That's what you do if your pet rabbit gets caught on top of your book shelf and he's eating your first edition of Charles Dicken's Barnaby Rudge.   Hop to it friend and get that hare outta there.


The phrase:

READ THE RIOT ACT

Many a frustrated parent or employer has been know to 'read the riot act'.    This in spite of the fact that a solitary culprit rather than a mob of rioters may be the target of the wrath.

King George I of England had to deal with a house full of some cantankerous kids.   His real troubles though, were his subjects.   They created so much commotion that in 1716 he issued a proclamation.  Any time twelve or more persons engaged in a demonstration, officers of the law were required to read a specified portion of the act and sent the rioters home.   In the early decades of the Georgian era, voices were lowered and fists were unclenched fast whenever the riot act was read.  

This is not to be confused with 'reading the Hyatt act"   That's a manual for a select group of hotel employees which gives them information on how to deal with guests that want extra washcloths.


The phrase:


GET ONE'S GOAT

A family member or fellow worker who has learned what button to push may get your goat at the drop of a hat.  (we'll look at the 'drop of hat' sometime in the future).  

Stable attendants were long convinced that the best way to soothe a high-strung racehorse was to give the animal a little companion.   Not just any companion, but a goat.

Once the horse became accustomed to the presence of the goat, it created an equine crisis to remove the stable mate.    That's why the tradition has continued that a person who makes you angry or frustrated has laid hands on your personal goat. 

This is not the same as getting one's boat.   Especially if we're talking about  the bbbboooat that can't stay aaaafffllllooat on the Island of Misfit Toys from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".    If someone gets that boat, make sure they also pick up the cowboy that rides and ostrich and the spotted elephant.   They're all misfits and just want a place to call home.


TRIVIA ANSWER:
George Washington

BRAIN TEASER:
Stop imagining 

Until next time.........