CBARetiredOfficers

SHOT OF WHISKEY - In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a shot of whiskey.

BUYING THE FARM - This is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you bought the farm for your survivors.

RIFF RAFF - The Mississippi River was the main way of travelling from north to south. Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were expensive so most people used rafts. Everything had the right of way over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on the rafts was called a riff and this transposed into riff-raff, meaning low class.

SHIP STATE ROOMS - Travelling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort. Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered. Instead they were named after states. To this day cabins on ships are called staterooms.

SLEEP TIGHT - Early beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the frame in a crisscross pattern. A straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night’s sleep.

OVER A BARREL - In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in an effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective. If you are over a barrel you are in deep trouble.

HOGWASH - Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board. The mud and other filth that was washed off was considered useless hog wash.

CURFEW - The word curfew comes from the French phrase couvre-feu, which means cover the fire. It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles. It was later adopted into Middle English as “curfeu" which later became the modern curfew. In the early American colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the centre of the room. In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during the night it was required that, by an agreed upon time, all fires would be covered with a clay pot called - a curfew.

There, don't you feel smarter now?

Betcha Didn’t Know …

• The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood plasma.
• Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks. (So, watch your Ass)
• You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
• Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age, or older.
• The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
• The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE
• Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.(Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you?)
  • (That women are going in the 'right' direction…?)
• Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
• Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN!
• The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. So did the first 'Marlboro Man’.
• Walt Disney was afraid OF MICE!
• PEARLS DISSOLVE IN VINEGAR!

• The ten most valuable brand names on earth: Apple, Coca Cola, Google, IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonalds, Samsung, Intel, and Toyota, in that order.

• It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...But, not downstairs. (Why in the hell would you want to take a cow upstairs?)
• Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
  • (I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)
• Turtles can breathe through their butts.
  • (I know some people like that, don't YOU?)

Remember, knowledge is everything, so pass it on......

Now go move your toothbrush!