Did You Know….?
I discovered recently that the origin of some of our common daily words and sayings is actually quite gruesome! So I thought I’d pass on a few of them to you for some not-so-easy reading.
Cold Feet
So-called ‘trench foot’ was rife among World War I troops. This painful and debilitating syndrome was caused by long periods of standing around in very cold and muddy water. It was also a ticket to hospital. So those soldiers who were not keen on facing battle would wait until just before a major offensive, and after enduring a great deal of pain, would report their condition to the medical officers at the last minute and therefore avoid combat.
Grape
Who doesn’t enjoy a glass of wine from the noble grape? In the 12th Century, a grape was actually a hooked weapon that was used to find openings in the joins of armour and gouge away at the flesh. During peace time, the weapon known as the grape was ideal for harvesting ‘wineberries’ and eventually the weapon’s name transferred to the fruit. I’m not sure I wanted to know that!
Best Man
In the days when brides were kidnapped and forced into marriage, the groom needed the best swordsman he could find to protect his back as he made off with his bride. Today’s best man seems to have got off lightly with just a speech! Although some would say that’s a fate worse than death!
Pay Through The Nose
A common punishment for theft or non-payment of fines in 9th Century Northern England was nose-slitting. The ‘nose tax’ saw each nostril slit up the middle to encourage non-payers to save up for next time and serve as a warning to others. It was easy for the returning tax collectors to identify previous non-payers too. That reminds me, I haven’t done my tax return yet - I’m thinking I’d better get onto it!
Bastard
This word comes from ‘bast’ or ‘bat’ which were alternative names for the pack-saddles used in the baggage trains that followed an army on the move. The saddle opened out into a crude bed for nights on the trail. A child conceived on a ‘bast’ or ‘bat’ was unlikely to be from a legitimate union and was called a ‘batard’ in French and a ‘bastard’ in English.
Mayonnaise
Not such a gory or unpleasant word to end with. After a long siege in 1756, French armed forces under Duc de Richelieu ousted the British from Port Mahon on the Spanish island of Minorca. The siege had been protracted and supplies were scarce and the Duc’s chef had difficulty coming up with a victory banquet. He did the best he could and dressed the salad with a new sauce which he named ‘Mahonaise’ after Port Mahon.
I’ve always found the origin of words really interesting and hope you enjoyed these.
Until next time, this is Julie Vale from Own Your Life Club. 
