Now You Know, Volume 4. Doug Lennox
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I wish to acknowledge the essential support of Heimrath’s Raiders: Jean-Marie; Heather Edwards; Sheila Brazys; Melody, Madison, and Peyton Sieger; Leslie Soldat; Jeff Sole; Sarah Andrews; and Gary Mottola.
When I was a young man, someone I worked for told me, “You think too much.”
“There’s no such thing,” I replied.
Then he fired me.
I still believe I was right, and working on the Now You Know series has reaffirmed that conviction. We may not need to know much more than how to catch a bus or start a car to get to work, but when we get there, it’s a good idea to have an idea (even if your boss doesn’t).
The “Almighty” has generally allocated three original ideas for each human being, so learn how to use them well. All of life is an internship: watching, learning, and then challenging.
As children, we live within dreams, and though these can be either woven or altered by adults, they can never be totally destroyed. It is through this time of innocence that we discover all that will ever be important to us — our minds. You don’t live in a nice house, a rundown apartment, or even a mansion; you live in your mind!
All around us, and yes, even within each of us, is the living evidence of the great minds from history. It’s in the architecture and monuments, the libraries and galleries, and the marvels of our electronic conveniences. It’s in the decaying isolated homes of early settlers and in the walls of ancient forts and castles. It’s in our fairy tales, our fashion, our customs, and our art, but most important, it’s within our languages, our everyday speech.
This book is the fourth in which I have explored everyday language and customs, and those who have become collectors of these volumes will notice a subtle expansion in content and format. For example, interspersed throughout this book are short features that I call “Odds & Oddities,” which present the odds or chances of something. Also scattered throughout the book in relevant places are what I call “Quickies,” bite-size bits of information taking the form of “Did you know …?” And from time to time you’ll encounter other boxed items such as bumper stickers for baby boomers. Lastly, at the end of this volume, I’ve answered a selected sample of questions posed by readers of my books.
All of these new elements stay true to the theme of this book’s predecessors and comply with my editorial criteria: if it interests me, if it’s fun, then it will hopefully amuse and interest you.
Once again I remind you that each gem in this book has been thoroughly researched and is intended to entertain anyone of any age, and who knows, maybe you’ll learn something. I did!
Doug Lennox
Toronto, Ontario
June 2006
What are the most common words in the English language?
The most common word used in written English is the, followed in order of use by of, and, to, a, in, that, is, I, it, for, and as. The most common spoken English word is I. The most common word in the King James Bible is the.
Why is relaxing a tense situation called “breaking the ice”?
Overcoming an awkward moment in either business or social circles sometimes requires a little levity to “break the ice” in order to make progress. The expression originally meant to smash the melting ice that hindered commerce during the long winter freeze. It was first used literally in its figurative modern way in 1823 when, in Don Juan, Lord Byron (1788–1824) wrote in reference to the stiff British upper class: “And your cold people are beyond all price, when once you’ve broken their confounded ice.”
How did “hightailing it” come to mean a rushed exit?
When people leave in a frantic hurry, they are “hightailing it.” The expression grew out of America’s Old West after cowboys noticed that both wild horses and deer would jerk their tails up high when frightened as they dashed to safety. The lifting of the tail by both animals was a signal to the rest of the herd that humans, and therefore danger, were near and that the creatures needed to run for their lives.
What is the origin of the expression “hail-fellow-well-met”?
“Hail-fellow-well-met” is an archaic reference to someone who is always cheerful but who is perhaps overdoing his or her enthusiasm. The expression began pleasantly enough as the medieval Scottish greeting hail, which is how the Scots pronounced heal. “Hale fellow” meant “health to you, friend.” In the sixteenth century, the expression became associated with the words buddy or mate. “Well met!” followed, meaning, “It’s good to meet you!” The two expressions became combined in a fuller phrase, “Hail-fellow-well-met,” in the late sixteenth century and is used today to suggest that a person’s exuberance is perhaps exaggerated.
Exactly What Is a Proverb?
A proverb is an ancient expression of practical truth or wisdom. Proverbs existed before books, were the unwritten language of morality, and are treasures of the oral tradition of all mankind. They offer a deep insight into the everyday domestic life of the culture of their origin and resonate as truth through all time.
| Japan: | “Learning without wisdom is a load of books on the back of a jackass.” |
| Japan: | “Unpolished pearls never shine.” |
| England: | “The difference is wide that the sheets cannot decide.” |
| Italy: | “Better alone than in bad company.” |
| China: | “One picture is worth 10,000 words.” Greece: “He who marries for money, earns it.” Greece: “If you sleep with dogs, you will arise with fleas.” France: “He who makes excuses, accuses himself.” Germany: “He who remains on the floor cannot fall.” Poland: “The voice is a second face.” |
| Ireland: | “A smile is the whisper of a laugh.” |
| Native American: | “Don’t judge someone till you’ve walked a mile in their moccasins.” |
Why do we say that something likely to happen soon is “in the offing”?
Something “in the offing” isn’t about to happen in the present, or even soon, but it will certainly happen before too long. Offing is an early nautical term that describes the part of the ocean most distant from the shore but still visible. So someone who is watching for a ship would first see it in the “offing” and realize that its arrival was imminent.
The phrase “in the offing” was first used during the sixteenth century and began as offen or offin.
Why is a couched insult called a “backhanded compliment”?
A compliment intended as an insult is termed a “backhanded compliment” and is directly tied to the ancient belief that the left