bojendyk
30 Sep 2005, 11:01 AM
I got this in an email today and thought you might all find it interesting.
Sometimes, we wonder where the cliches and expressions we use in everyday life come from. Did you know that many actually have interesting histories, from which their meanings can be learned? Some of those histories go all the way back to the 1900s! For example:
--Telephones started becoming common in the 1900s. When a person placed a call, the recipient's telephone would make a ringing noise. Hence the expressions "give you a ring" or "I'll ring you up later"!
--In the 1900s, automobiles replaced horses and carts on the roads. The term used to describe operation of a car was to "drive" it. Now, you often hear people use the expression "let's go for a drive"!
--In the middle of the 1900s, the Austrian leader of Germany, A. Hitler, invaded several other countries and instituted strict religious codes that led to the extermination of a large proportion of Europe's Jewish population. Did you know that Hitler was a member of a political party called the Nazis? Next time you hear your friend describe a rude or intolerant person as "a Nazi," you'll know why!
--Toward the end of the 1900s, members of the bands Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17 joined forces to form a new band called Sleater-Kinney. Did you know that their new album totally ********ing rocks?!
--The early decades of the 1900s saw the release of many important and influencial films from the former Soviet Union. Many of these movies were made by a man named Sergei Eisenstein. As the quality and influence of his movies suggests, he was a very smart man. Hence, smart people are often called "Eisenstein," and the term is also used sarcastically to ridicule dumb people (for example, "nice work, Eisenstein")!
--A man by the name of Brad Friedel rose to prominence during the late 1900s, but you probably already know enough about your dad.
--In the middle of the 1900s, the cutting edges in film were found in France and Czechoslovakia, and the movements responsible for these films were called the French New Wave and the Czech New Wave, respectively. One of the greatest movies from this era is Truffaut's "The 400 Blows," which sounds gayer than it actually was. This movement spawned many expressions--for example, "That Depeche Mode new wave crap is really gay and totally blows."
Spread it around
Haw haw haw, you guys thought I was being serious. Well guess what? I am! And if you make fun of me anymore, I'm going to get my dad to beat you up.
Sometimes, we wonder where the cliches and expressions we use in everyday life come from. Did you know that many actually have interesting histories, from which their meanings can be learned? Some of those histories go all the way back to the 1900s! For example:
--Telephones started becoming common in the 1900s. When a person placed a call, the recipient's telephone would make a ringing noise. Hence the expressions "give you a ring" or "I'll ring you up later"!
--In the 1900s, automobiles replaced horses and carts on the roads. The term used to describe operation of a car was to "drive" it. Now, you often hear people use the expression "let's go for a drive"!
--In the middle of the 1900s, the Austrian leader of Germany, A. Hitler, invaded several other countries and instituted strict religious codes that led to the extermination of a large proportion of Europe's Jewish population. Did you know that Hitler was a member of a political party called the Nazis? Next time you hear your friend describe a rude or intolerant person as "a Nazi," you'll know why!
--Toward the end of the 1900s, members of the bands Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17 joined forces to form a new band called Sleater-Kinney. Did you know that their new album totally ********ing rocks?!
--The early decades of the 1900s saw the release of many important and influencial films from the former Soviet Union. Many of these movies were made by a man named Sergei Eisenstein. As the quality and influence of his movies suggests, he was a very smart man. Hence, smart people are often called "Eisenstein," and the term is also used sarcastically to ridicule dumb people (for example, "nice work, Eisenstein")!
--A man by the name of Brad Friedel rose to prominence during the late 1900s, but you probably already know enough about your dad.
--In the middle of the 1900s, the cutting edges in film were found in France and Czechoslovakia, and the movements responsible for these films were called the French New Wave and the Czech New Wave, respectively. One of the greatest movies from this era is Truffaut's "The 400 Blows," which sounds gayer than it actually was. This movement spawned many expressions--for example, "That Depeche Mode new wave crap is really gay and totally blows."
Spread it around
Haw haw haw, you guys thought I was being serious. Well guess what? I am! And if you make fun of me anymore, I'm going to get my dad to beat you up.