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Why do we say “lock and load” when getting ready?

May 5th, 2010

The expression “lock and load”, we often say that before preparing to do something dangerous. Though where does the expression come from? And what did it actually mean before the current sense. It all spurred from the American G.Is during the Second World War. They said the expression when they loaded their M1 rifles prior to a tough task. The phrase has a simple meaning, inserting a full ammunition clip then lock the bolt straight, pressuring a round into the chamber. The initial expression was “load and lock” but when the All American, John Wayne mixed the words up a new expression was born in the English lexicon “lock and load”. John Wayne had mixed up the expression in the movie The Sands Of Iwo Jima, the expression has stayed since.

Did you know in the movie The Sands Of Iwo Jima, John Wayne and the rest of the characters did get to reinact the famous scene of rising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. The real great detail about that is, they did use the original flag that was mounted. They had to borrow it from a Museum in Virginia.

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The origin of “Son Of A Gun”?

May 2nd, 2010

Early in the 18th century, wives of sailors and their lovers would go with them in long journeys(sometimes prostitutes were on board too).  The sailors would drink all day so when they didn’t drink they did the only other sensibly thing, with the women. When one of the women became pregnant during the trip with no land nearby. The women would be forced to give birth on the sea, they would place a clean curtain near the midship gun/cannon. The women would then give birth at that spot. Since there were many men on the ship and few women, it was hard to know who the father actually was. So they just called the baby, son of a gun, since it came out near a gun.

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The origin of Piggy Banks

April 29th, 2010

Everybody has bought a piggy bank once, or has at least seen one. A pretty useful vessel to contain some change when you’re in a hurry. In medieval times, in England, pots and dishes were created with clay, that type of clay was called “pygg”. Much like now, pots were often used to keep some spare cash in the kitchen or in other areas in the house. Near 1600, an English pot maker got an offer to make a pot, though this one was unfamiliar with pygg bank, so he actually made a vessel in the shape of a pig. The pig had a slender hole on it’s back so you could put coins in it.

Since then piggy banks have become somewhat part of our culture. Rachel, is the biggest piggy bank in the world, it weights around 600 pounds and is made out of bronze.

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