Have you ever ever wondered where some words and phrases come from? Here are a few we can finally stop wondering about…
Booze – A combination of the Middle English (c.1300) verb “bouse”, meaning to drink heavily, AND the name of a famous Philadelphia distiller named E.G. Booze. Ben Franklin published a book of synonyms in 1722 and used the word “boozy” as a synonym for “drunk”.
Three sheets to the wind – was originally used to describe a drunk person in 1812 to describe the image of a sloop-rigged sailboat whose three “sheets” or sails had slipped through their blocks and were thus lost to the wind, and “out of control”.
Hammered – originally meant to be “heavily defeated”, and became officially recognized in 1986 as meaning drunk.
Dashboard – the original dashboard was a board in the front of wagons and carriages to stop mud from horses hooves from splashed into the vehicle.
Limousine – comes from the name of the Limousin region in France, where the chief city is Limoge. Apparently, the people of that region traditionally wore a hood that was similar to the hood, or profile of early luxury cars.
Chauffeur – another word with French origins meaning the “stoker” or operator of the steam engine (chaud, meaning “hot”, thus “chauffer” meaning “to heat”, from the Old French verb “chaufer” –“ to heat”.
Enough drinking and driving slang – Why are we buried in a…
Coffin – early 14th C. for a place to store valuables, taken from the Old French “coffin” meaning “sarcophagus”.
Dead as a doornail – meant “insensible” in the 1300’s, and by the 1500’s meant “inactive and dull”.
Dead man’s hand – in poker comes from the pair of aces and pair of eights that Wild Bill Hickock was holding when Jack McCall shot him in 1876.
Back to drinkin…
Dead Drunk – was first used in the 1590’s, and in a “dead soldier” became an empty bottle of liquor in 1913.
Thank you to the television show – “American Slang”, and to the web-site “Online Etymology” If you ever want to grow a braincell back after all of that drinking… Check out Paul’s Pick of the week: “Online Etymology”
And a final thought…
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. – Richard Bach
In an effort to speed up data connections between Mars and Earth, NASA has reached out to US and international companies and scientists for solutions.
Currently, NASA depends on satellites used for research carrying specially designed radios – but the current technology is aging, insufficient, and will likely deteriorate before NASA’s budget allows for more satellites to be launched.
The Federal Business Opportunities website (http://FBO.com) states that the project would consist of “orbiters capable of providing standardized telecommunication services for rovers and landers on the Martian surface, in the Martian atmosphere, or in Mars orbit.”
“U.S. top court declines to revive New Jersey sports betting law” reads a recent Reuters Article
The Federal Court pointed to a federal law which grandfathered only a few states into maintaining their sports betting practices back in 1992 – while giving other states one year to opt in.
Well, who is surprised that NJ fell asleep at the wheel on that one. In the Pre-Pocono-Casino era, NJ was happy as thin-crust pizza-pie to stick with what they were already best at in AC. Years later, with the gamblers flooding to newer out-of-state casinos, NJ finds itself up against the Federal Government wagging their finger in a confirmed “No.” And are only left to cry in Paula Cole fashion, “Where did all the gamblers go?”
IN CEDAR GROVE, NJ Kirit Kothari, of Cedar Grove, N.J., isn’t an abnormally thirsty person. Nor does he have an exorbitantly large lawn or garden — nor, for that matter, a personal water park in his backyard. But somehow, according to a bill he’s received from the Cedar Grove township’s water department, he owed $10,457.90 for water and sewer fees incurred through January, February, and March of 2011. That adds up to nearly 1,000,000 gallons of water for a home of two people. For comparison, an Olympic-sized swimming pools holds about 630,000 gallons…Read More on this and Other Crazy Water Bill Stories from the Huffington Post Here.
You may be surprised to know that this is an area where we have discovered some of the greatest savings for our clients. Not only do we perform the functions normally associated with electric and natural gas auditing, but we are expert in finding and repairing leaks and securing significant refunds/credits. LEARN MORE
A big-city lawyer was representing the railroad in a lawsuit filed by an old rancher. The rancher’s prize bull was missing from the section through which the railroad passed. The rancher only wanted to be paid the fair value of the bull.
The case was scheduled to be tried before the justice of the peace in the back room of the general store.The attorney for the railroad immediately cornered the rancher and tried to get him to settle out of court. The lawyer did his best selling job, and finally the rancher agreed to take half of what he was asking.
After the rancher had signed the release and took the check, the young lawyer couldn’t resist gloating a little over his success, telling the rancher, “You know, I hate to tell you this, old man, but I put one over on you in there. I couldn’t have won the case. The engineer was asleep and the fireman was in the caboose when the train went through your ranch that morning. I didn’t have one witness to put on the stand. I bluffed you!”
The old rancher replied, “Well, I’ll tell you, young feller, I was a little worried about winning that case myself, because that durned bull came home this morning.”
Verbatim
Two attorneys went into a diner and ordered two drinks. Then they produced sandwiches from their briefcases and started to eat.
The owner became quite concerned and marched over and told them, “You can’t eat your own sandwiches in here!”
The attorneys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and then exchanged sandwiches
The Case of the Unarmed Burglary
An attorney defending a man accused of burglary tried this creative defense: “My client merely inserted his arm into the window and removed a few trifling articles. His arm is not himself, and I fail to see how you can punish the whole individual for an offense committed by his limb.”
“Well put,” the judge replied. “Using your logic, I sentence the defendant’s arm to one year’s imprisonment. He can accompany it or not, as he chooses.”
The defendant smiled. With his attorneys assistance he detached his artificial limb, laid it on the bench, and walked out.
Good News: You Don’t Need To Hire a Lawyer to Recover Overage Charges on Utility Bills.
Professionals can visit your site to identify wasted energy and inefficient equipment. Even recommend shifting some production to off hours to lower your electrical bill. Contact your electricity and gas providers who often provide this service for FREE.
3. Review TeleCostly Services.
Nearly 90% of telecom bills are incorrect. A Telecom Bill Auditor can help you recover over payments – and guide you, if necessary toward a more effective and appropriate provider or plan.
Activate lights by motion detectors or turn off lights when not needed. Consider disconnecting lights from unoccupied areas of facilities and replacing them with tap-light.
5. Soft on the Wallet Software.
Buy used software – Many online auction sites (like Ebay) have a good selection. Make an investment in your company’s future by turning to the cloud. Cloud Hosted Applications can save you tons of money in ongoing expenses.
6. Stuff the Cracks.
Improve your insulation and seal air leaks on the premises to reduce HVAC costs.
7. On-site Storage.
Stop using offsite storage – make a place on-site or consider disposing or selling it – Remember, out of sight and out of mind does not mean it’s not still out of pocket.
8. There’s No Place Like Home-Base.
Stop all non-essential travel and stay close to the office – use the phone, video conferencing or Internet meetings (where documents can be shared between computers).
9. Cash in on Space.
Lease out unused office space as office condos or unused facility space as storage space.
10. Don’t Pay for the Paper
Many businesses still pay for paper publications out of sheer habit. Magazine, newsletter and newspaper subscriptions can often be converted to electronic subscriptions for less or for free.
