It is that time of the week again and I hope every week is becoming more normal and more sane for everyone after the crappy year so far. Last week was a tame post by my standards and thought I better find some more funky ones today. Lets hope I can try bring a smile out of you today which is saying something as some of you are hard work lol.
No room to swing a cat.
Obviously stating that the room is very small unless your cat has an extremely long tail. Most houses in England state X amount of rooms, but one is normally the size of an office or only suitable for a new born baby and would suit this saying perfectly.
Back in the day aboard sailing ships if you transgressed and broke the ships rules you were tried and punished. The punishment would be handed out with a whip that had nine tails hence the name "cat of nine tails" The saying is thought to come from this period as you would need room to administer the blows properly. If you were going to be punished you would certainly choose a small pokey room if you had a choice. Most whippings took place outside so this could be a load of rubbish but it is plausible at best.
The crapper or going to the John.
The lavatory or toilet as we call it today. I think everyone knows this story or part of it anyway.
Thomas Crapper was a sanitary engineer or plumber as we might say. Sanitary engineer sounds a bit too glamorous for that type of job. He managed to have 9 inventions patented regarding to various plumbing brain waves. Unfortunately he never invented the toilet as we know it today, but someone else did. A toilet was known as the Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer and the chap who patented it was a guy called Albert Giblin. The weird thing is a guy called John Harrington invented the toilet 200 years before him. That is why it was called going to the John and sounds far more civilized.
Don't laugh as here is another one of his inventions as we know it as a man hole cover. This believe it or not is a tourist attraction in London. Some sick people around and just shows that people will look at anything.
Thomas invented things like the floating ballcock lol. What a name to go along with his surname. He also invented sanitary pipes that made the whole experience more pleasant. He received a few government contracts and his business literally took off.
The story goes his name only took off in fame when the American soldiers came to England whilst serving during world war 1. Lets just say the name stuck around ever since.
Going to have a Giblin doesn't have the same ring about is as going to have a crap. The word "crap" only came about due to the name on his toilets that guaranteed a 5 gallon flush. I suppose nothing was thought of it back then saying you were going to the crapper. Now we are a little more polite in the terminology I suppose.
In the dog house.
Someone who is out of favor or is being punished possibly unfairly. Many husbands or boyfriends often find themselves in the dog house. I know it used to bug me, but not anymore. I think it wears thin after you are married for a while lol.
Thought to have come from "Peter Pan" as it states in chapter 16 Mr Darling put himself in the dogs kennel. Kennel is the English term for what the Americans call a dog house so that is not correct and has to come from the States then. Nothing funny with this one and just means you are outside with the dog who sleeps outside. The earliest it can be found in print is 1926 having to do with the glossary of criminals.
That is it for this Friday and possibly you learnt something or not. I didn't really except the going to the John bit which clears that part up. Never made sense until now and never bothered to look that one up before.
