Forever Known as Ammonia Due to Where They Parked Their Camels
Word and Phrase Origin of Ammonia
This posting is just a quick FYI tidbit that caught my eye. Oh, you're going to be shocked when you find out where the idea for ammonia came from. And if you've ever really smelled ammonia, you know how it can overwhelm you enough to feel...
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The Spitball Pitch was Once Legal
Now the spitball is outlawed. The reason for ending the legal spitball was, in 1920, Carl Mays threw a spitball that hit Ray Chapman on the head, killing Chapman.
Many pitchers used the spitball before 1920 and its unpredictable behavior made batters dread the pitch. E...
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Phrase Meaning: To Get a Rise Out of Someone
These words first applied to
fish rising to the bait (which is a thrill to watch if you're on the other end of the pole). Writers on the art of angling popularized 'the rise' in this sense 300 years ago, and the metaphor from fly-fishing became standard En...
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Kill the Ump! Did It Ever Really Happen?
For those who have never heard this phrase before
the word ump is shortened for umpire. As you know, umpires have the final say on being 'safe' or 'out' in baseball. There are masses of people who believe that the umpire does not make 'good calls' when they are watching...
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What Keeping Up With the Joneses Means
Cartoonist Arthur R. (Pop) Momand lived in a community where many people tried to keep up with the Joneses.
This is his own recollection:
My wife and I resided in Cedarhurst, New York, one of Long Island's Five Towns, where the average income is still among America'...
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Kindergarten Means Childrens Garden
Kindergarten used to mean a place that young children should be taught according to their natural instincts, by stimulating and creating interest. It seems to have undergone a huge transformation to mean a place to get your child ready to be in first grade which is real...
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Are You a Snoop? Well, It Depends. Define Snoop.
We've come to know many different people in our lives as 'snoops',
but did you know where the word comes from?
First let me tell you about some snoops I've come across....ME! When my daughter was a young teen and just getting into high school, boys, etc. The gi...
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