The Interesting History of Some of Our Expressions & Customs
Memories of our culture are retained in our maxims

We can learn a lot about our ancestors and their way of life by simply looking into some of the things we say, and the expressions we use in our everyday jargon. There are sayings of logic, such as " a stitch in time saves nine," referring to the fact that if you deal with a problem early, it will never blossom out into a more serious dilemma. The reference to sewing was used because at the time this saying was coined, thread and sewing needles were quite precious. Voila – we learn something about our past. Telephones and TVs weren't the only things our ancestors didn't have.

Here is a small collection of some of the more interesting idioms, and an brief explanation of how they came to be. Get ready to be edified, and shocked!

A June wedding – the dream of every girl. But why? Easy enough. Back in the Medieval Period, also called the Middle Ages, most people found it best to take their annual bath in the month of May. Back then, it was believed that bathing was bad for you, and should not be done often. This idea probably cam into being because of illnesses contracted from bathing and then remaining cold. Since people bathed in May, they were still nice and fresh and clean, sort of, in June. Of course, after a couple of weeks of working in the fields and not bathing, they did start to smell bad again. To avoid the wincing looks of the groom, the bride carried flowers. And this is why, still today, brides carry bouquets.

During the Medieval Period, bathing was considerably different than it is today – as you might suspicion. A large tub was filled with water that was made as hot as possible by adding freshly boiled water to cool water. When there was enough water in the big tub, the alpha male (usually dad) got in first and washed off. After him came any other adult males, in their pecking order. It was common for relatives or troubled neighbors to share a home then, which allowed for several adult males to live in the same house. After the adult men came the younger men, followed by the oldest to the youngest females. Lastly, the baby was bathed. The water was cool then, and so filthy dirty that you could not see in it. The water was so dirty that you could actually lose a small person in it. And from this came the expression "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

Long ago in Europe, homes were built with thatched roofs. These moderately effective roofs were made using thick, heavy straw that was piled high. The roof had very little or no wood framework under it for support. These thick, straw roofs were ideal places for the family's smaller animals to rest and stay warm, and a little dryer. Mice would also inhabit these roofs in large numbers. When it rained hard enough and long enough, the roofs would become both heavy and slippery, and less desirable for the animals, which would start their exodus. If the storm were bad enough, the roof would give way under the slipping animals, and it would then, quite literally, be "raining cats and dogs."

Remember now, your ancestors are living in a house with a thatched roof of straw. And while it was most assuredly better than nothing, especially for insulating against cold, it allowed many things to fall through it. The straw was also the gathering place for about every insect known to man. Alas, these insects would also fall from the roof – onto whatever was below. The solution? Put high posts at all four corners of the bed, and drape something over them, thus forming a canopy. This is where today's less functional, but eminently more ornate canopy beds got their start. The Europeans remembered their positive experiences with canopy beds as they moved into the exploration of jungles. There, instead of something just over the top of the bed, they draped it down the sides also – to make a barrier against voracious jungle mosquitoes.

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