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I can't believe it is that time of the week again and it is Friday. Not that days of the week are much more different to weekends at the moment as not much is going on. Normality just seems to be weeks if not months away still and it is something I think we all are craving for desperately.
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This was actually quite an important invention back in it's day.
A load of codswallop
Meaning nonsense or a load of bull dust.
There are a couple of origins with some saying it is just a made up word. I am going with the more interesting possibility however. Hiriam Codd was a soft drinks manufacturer and in 1870 developed the marble in the bottle neck as a stopper. When you shook the bottle the fizz forced the marble to the top forming a seal. This was called the Codd bottle.
Wallop is a slang term for beer and knowing the English would look down on anything not alcoholic. Hence the name a load of codswallpp as no one would be interested.
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How many of you played this game where Larry needs to get laid.
As happy as Larry.
Someone who is extremely happy.
Another one that has more than two possibilities both coming from Australia. I have chosen the more plausible one as sometimes simplicity makes more sense.
Larry Foley was a boxer who retired when he was 32 and was undefeated. His last fight in the 1870's he received £1000 for winning and obviously was very happy. Sounds stupid and simple yet plausible compared to the other which was a book published in 1903 where it was mentioned someone was as happy as Larry.
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Baby blues.
After giving birth some women get depressed and feel down which is now called baby blues.
Funny that this had nothing to do with depression originally and has been spun into a condition for new born mothers.
The truth is most kids are born with blue eyes due to the body lacking melanin pigment. This then changes as the body adjusts and the eyes change colour as a natural development.
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Bite the bullet
Accept what is coming your way like a man. Normally some type of hardship or punishment.
One I think we all now or possibly should know as we may have seen this portrayed in some films we have seen. A bullet was used by surgeons on the battlefield for injured soldiers to bite on. A bullet was soft enough that the patient wouldn't break his teeth. The bullet was used to stop the patient from biting his tongue. A rough one I know as normally the patient would pass out once the operation started suffering from shock.
Another very interesting list of facts! I have never heard the first one before in my life until now. Actually, now that I think of it the first two were totally new to me.