Language
Bizarre Fact #81:
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In ancient Egypt, the apricot was called the "egg of the sun." Bizarre Fact #82:
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The equivalent of calling someone a jerk in English is calling them a pickle in French. Bizarre Fact #83:
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Beets reminded early cooks of a bleeding animal when they cut them open, so they started calling them "beets." This was derived from the French word bête, meaning "beast." Bizarre Fact #84:
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The phrase "a red letter day" dates back to 1704, when holy days were marked in red letters in church calendars. Bizarre Fact #85:
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The phrase "guinea pig" originated when a tax was imposed on powder for wigs in England to help pay for the war with Napoleon. The list of those who had paid the guinea (one pound, one shilling) was posted on their parish church door. As they were the wealthy of the day, they became known as the guinea pigs. Bizarre Fact #86:
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Mothers were originally named mama or mommy (in many languages) because they have mammary glands. Bizarre Fact #87:
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The word "yo-yo" itself was a registered trademark of Duncan until 1965. Bizarre Fact #88:
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The expression "getting someone's goat" is based on the custom of keeping a goat in the stable with a racehorse as the horse's companion. The goat becomes a settling influence on the thoroughbred. If you owned a competing horse and were not above some dirty business, you could steal your rival's goat (seriously, it's been done) to upset the other horse and make it run a poor race. From goats and horses it was linguistically extended to people: in order to upset someone, "get their goat." Bizarre Fact #89:
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Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower', because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters. Bizarre Fact #90:
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In India and Iran, the part of the house reserved for women is called a "zenana."
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