I dont know how much is true. This was forwarded to me and I thought it was a fun read anyways.

In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either
sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing
behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and
both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were
to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are
'limbs,' therefore painting them would cost the buyer more.. Hence the
expression, 'Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg.' (Artists know hands
and arms are more difficult to paint)

********
As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May
and October) Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads
(because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs
made from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would
carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30
minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term 'big
wig.' Today we often use the term 'here comes the Big Wig' because someone
appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.

*******

In the late 1700's, many houses consisted of a large room with only one
chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used
for dining. The 'head of the household' always sat in the chair while
everyone else ate sitting on the floor.
Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this
chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in
charge.
They called the one sitting in the chair the 'chair man.' Today in business,
we use the expression or title 'Chairman' or 'Chairman of the Board.'

*******

Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result, many women and
men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax
over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were
speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman's face
she was told, 'mind your own bee's wax.' Should the woman smile, the wax
would crack, hence the term 'crack a smile'. In addition, when they sat too
close to the fire, the wax would melt . Therefore, the expression 'losing
face.'



*******
Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and
dignified woman, as in 'straight laced'. . Wore a tightly tied lace.

*******

Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied
when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the 'Ace of Spades.' To
avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since
most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb
because they weren't 'playing with a full deck.'


*******

Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the
people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios,
the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They
were told to 'go sip some ale' and listen to people's conversations and
political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times. 'You
go sip here' and 'You go sip there.' The two words 'go sip' were eventually
combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term
'gossip.'


*******
At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized
containers.
A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks
coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in
'pints' and who was drinking in 'quarts,' hence the term 'minding your 'P's
and Q's '

*******
One more
and betting you didn't know this!

In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried
iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary
to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from
rolling about the deck?
The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball
on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.. Thus, a
supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the
cannon. There was only one problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from
sliding or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate
called a 'Monkey' with 16 round indentations. However, if this plate were
made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the
rusting problem was to make 'Brass Monkeys.'
Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than
iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the
brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come
right off the monkey.. Thus, it was quite literally, 'Cold enough to freeze
the balls off a brass monkey.' (All this time, you thought that was an
improper expression, didn't you.)

__________________
hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_monkey_%28colloquial_expression%29

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

finally.... Wikipedia is wrong for once!



I knew people would start catching on to its illegitimacy.

I don't know any better authority on the English language than the Oxford English Dictionary which is quoted in that Wikipedia article.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I would also question the story given of "gossip"
The term was already in wide use during the writing of the Bible--both Hebrew and Greek. In fact, it is one sin singled out specifically on many occasions.
It might be possible that the story given, discusses the use of the word in English, but the concept far precedes that.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags