A shot of Whiskey: In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six gun cost $.12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. Now if a cowhand was low on cash, he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "Shot of Whiskey".
Barrels of Oil: When the first oil wells were drilled, they had made No provision for storing the liquid, so they used water barrels. That is why to this vary day, we speak of barrels of oil instead of gallons of oil.
Iron Clad Contract: This came about from the ironclad ship of the Civil War, it meant something so strong it could not be broken
The Whole Nine Yards: American fighter planes in WW 2 had machine guns that were fed by a belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were 27 ft long or 9 yards long. If the pilot used up all his ammo, he was said to have given it the Whole Nine Yards.
Buying the Farm: This is linked with dying. During WW 1 soliders were given life insurance policies worth $5000 bucks. This was about the price of an average farm, so if you died, you "Bought the Farm".... for your survivors.
Over the Barrel: In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and rolled back and forth in an effort to eliminate the water in the lungs, this rarely worked. So if you are over a barrel.... you are in deep trouble.
Now you know: Be Safe out there: MicroMan
Did You Know.....
Member #: 2039
Registered: 1996-2001
Posted:
1090
Name:
MicroMan
Name:
Gary E. Ogden
Company:
Micro Network Svc Grp
Occupation:
Coax-Copper-Fiber-
Location:
Domestic-International
Personal:
Experience:
~59 years
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