Lest we Forget. Old Sayings

[Stan Carter]

John, I always figured that cold enough to freeze the balls off the Brass monkey came from the pawn brokers sign, but there again couldn't figure where the monkey came into it or that the balls were not made of brass.....It's been stuck in my mind for years, strange that... cheers, stan

[Tony Taylor]

I have three brass monkeys (an ornament I inherited), none of them have balls, so its either a poor casting or they have been left outside for a long time.

[Doc Vernon]

At the Drop of a Hat

In the 19th century, a hat was used to indicate the start of a race or a fight. A hat would be dropped or swept in a downward arc and participants would begin.

Bite the Bullet

There was no such thing as pain relief or anaesthesia in the 19th century. As a result, when soldiers were injured on the battlefield and needed treatment, they were given a bullet to bite down on to prevent them screaming out loud.

Eating Humble Pie

As far back as the 17th century, the lord of an estate would give the umbles (the less tasty parts of an animal) to his servants. Typically, they were made into a pie. This became associated with a lower social status

[j.sabourn]

In the days of no cameras, portraits were painted. Artists prices were not based on how many persons were in the picture, but how many limbs were to be painted. Therefore the term or expression “ OK it’ll cost you an arm and a leg “came into vogue. ( Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint). JS

[j.sabourn]

#12 Ref. To the ball less 3 monkeys have you checked their sex Tony ? JS
Although saying that their motto probably is “ see nothing, Hear nothing, and Say nothing” , so is doubtful they are female. I keep my 3 as a garden ornament. JS

[Dave McGouldrick]

Re No3:

I thought that minding ps and qs originated when setting up printing press letters. The lower case p and lower case q could be transposed if the operator did not
mind his ps and qs