KNOCK ON WOOD, THEN BREAK A LEG
The common person in the Middle Ages was highly superstitious, believing in tiny
creatures called Wood Sprites. These mischievous beasts enjoyed reeking havoc on
anyone who wished for or predicted something favorable. Whenever someone
mentioned something that the Wood Sprites would find pleasure in ruining, it was
necessary to immediately knock on a piece of wood to deafen the Sprites and prevent
them from hearing it. Some people tried to outsmart the Sprites and make something
good happen by using reverse psychology. They’d tell someone to “break a leg,” sure
that the Sprites would thwart that outcome and something better would happen.
RING AROUND THE ROSY
The origins of the classic children’s rhyme “Ring Around the Rosy” lie in the midfourteenth century, when the Bubonic Plague afflicted Europe. This often fatal
disease decimated the continent, killing one-third to one-quarter of the population in
select areas. One symptom of the Black Death, as it was called, was a high fever that
caused bright red circles to form around the cheeks- ring around the rosy. Without
knowledge of germs and contamination, transmission from person to person was
believed to be caused by smell. Herbs, or posies, were carried around to prevent
contraction of the disease-pockets full of posies. Most victims that succumbed to
death were cremated rather than buried-Ashes, ashes/ We all fall down!
LITERALLY SAVED BY THE BELL
Some plague victims were buried, but room had to be made in overcrowded
cemeteries. One in twenty-five of the coffins removed to make space showed signs
that the person buried had been alive at the time. To stop this from occurring, a string
was tied around the wrist of each corpse when it was buried, then led through the
coffin and attached to a bell. If the person was alive he or she could pull on the string
and be “saved by the bell.” Town residents took turns sitting in the cemetery at all
hours, the “graveyard shift,” to listen for bells ringing.
POOR BABY!
Bathing was a rare event in Medieval England. Fathers, as the heads of
households, received the honor of taking the first yearly bath on the cleansing day.
Babies were the last members of the family to bathe in the same water as everyone
else. By then the water was so filthy that someone could easily be lost in it, sparking
the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” which means don’t be
hasty.
HERE COMES THE BRIDE
Most weddings in Chaucer’s time took place in June because brides took their
yearly baths in May and didn’t smell yet awful in June. Just in case a bride was
beginning to stink, she carried a bouquet of flowers to mask the odor. June remains
the most popular wedding month today, and no bride is complete without a bouquet
of flowers.
TAKE COVER
Canopy beds, today a luxury item, were invented out of necessity. Medieval
houses had thatch roofs, which allowed insects and small rodents to fall through onto
the bed. A sheet was hung between four poles surrounding the bed to block the
falling creatures, and the canopy bed was born.
THRESHOLD OF WEALTH
The homes of peasants in Medieval England were made of dirt, hence the saying
“dirt poor.” The wealthy could afford to construct floors out of stone, but that
unfortunately became slippery when wet. Straw, or thresh, was spread over the floor
to minimize slipping. Eventually the layer of straw became so high that it would fall
out of the house when the door was opened, so a board was nailed below the door to
hold the thresh in place. Homeowners welcoming guests reminded them to “Step
over the threshold” when entering the building.
PARDON MY FRENCH
The expression “pardon my French” is often used before one is going to say
something vulgar. This originated early in England due to the long-standing feud of
that nation with France. The English considered the French to be vile people, and so
anything disgusting was termed “French.”
CHEWING THE FAT
Meat was a rare commodity throughout much of history. It was a sign of wealth
for a man to “bring home the bacon.” When family could obtain pork, everyone in
town would gather at the household for a piece of animal meat and “chew the fat”
while socializing. Today the expression refers to talking or gossiping.