Good To Know

Question: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?


Answer: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of dense orange clay called "Pygg". When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as "pygg banks". When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

Question: Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?

Answer: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich, Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the button on the maid's right. Since most people are right handed. It is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. And that's where women's buttons have remained since

Question: Why are people in the public eye said to be "in the limelight"?

Answer: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting by a burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, performers on stage "in the limelight" were seen by the audience to be the center of attention.

Question: Why do ships and aircraft in trouble uses  "MayDay" as their call for help?

Answer: This comes from the French word M'aidez meaning help me and is pronounced mayday

Question: Why is someone who is feeling great "On cloud Nine"?

Answer: Types of clouds are numbered according to the attitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine that person is floating well above worldly car

Question: Why are zero scores in tennis called "Love"

Answer: In France, where tennis first became popular a big round zero on scoreboard looked like an egg and was called "loeuf" which is French for "Egg". When tennis was introduced in the US,  Americans pronounced it "Love"

 Question: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

Answer: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of  his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would then just touch or clink the host's glass with his own.

Question: Why do X's at the end of a letter signifies kisses?

Answer: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read and write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.