Did you Know?

The phrase "the whole 9 yards" came from World War II fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, they got "the whole 9 yards"…the phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb…many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get service. The phrase "wet your whistle" was inspired by this practice... in English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. In old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. This inspired the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"... in Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by rope. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. The phrase "goodnight, sleep tight" came from this practice.