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Numerous sayings listed in the popular "Life in the 1500s" e-mail sprang from ordinary living conditions of that era.
Hat makers became crazy from the fumes produced by mercury-soaked felt, hence the phrase 'mad as a hatter.'
Death benefits paid to beneficiaries of soldiers who died in battle were often enough to pay off the mortgages on family farms, hence the deceased was said to have 'bought the farm.'
The origin of our saying "Bless you!" when someone sneezes stems from an ancient desire to safeguard the sneezer's soul or to commend the dying to the mercy of God.
Disputed parentage of a child born aboard a ship was resolved by listing the newborn as a "son of a gun."
The exclamation "Holy smoke" derived from the burning of the ballots used to elect a Pope.
The phrase "Kilroy Was Here" began as a ship inspector's mark in World War II.
Someone who cheats at cards is properly styled a card shark, not a card sharp.
"One for the road" and "On the wagon" date to offers of a last drink for a condemned prisoner.
Barkeepers kept track of patrons' tabs via chalking p's and q's on the wall (for pints and quarts), hence the admonishment to "mind your p's and q's."
To "let the cat out of the bag" comes from cats being sold as pigs or sailors being whipped for transgressions.
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