Sunday Morning Funnies # 59

Dear Readers:

Although these aren't funny ha, ha, I think they will entertain you!

Did  you Ever Wonder WHY?

  

1…  WHY:

Why are many coin collection jar banks shaped like  pigs?

BECAUSE:

Long  ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of dense orange clay called  'pygg'. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became  known as 'pygg banks.'  When an English potter misunderstood the  word, he made a container that resembled a pig.

And it caught  on.

2.... WHY:

Why do ships and aircraft use 'mayday'  as their call for help?

BECAUSE:

This  comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning 'help me' - and is pronounced, approximately, 'mayday.'

3....  WHY

Why are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?

BECAUSE:

In  France, where tennis became popular, the round zero on the scoreboard  looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is

French for 'the  egg.'   When tennis was introduced in the US,

Americans  (naturally), mispronounced it 'love.'

4....  WHY:

Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?

BECAUSE:

In  the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents  were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill  obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually  became synonymous.

5... WHY:

Why is shifting  responsibility to someone else called 'passing the buck'?

BECAUSE:

In  card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from  player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal.  If a player  did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would 'pass the  buck' to the next player.

6… WHY:

Why do people  clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

BECAUSE:

In  earlier times it used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by  offering him a poisoned drink.  To prove to a guest that a drink was  safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink  into the glass of the host.  Both men would drink it simultaneously.  When a guest trusted his host, he would only touch or clink the host's  glass with his own.

7… WHY:

Why are people in the  public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?

BECAUSE:

Invented  in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a  cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a  performer 'in the limelight' was the Centre of  attention.

8... WHY:

Why is  someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?

BECAUSE:

Types  of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine  being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that  person is floating well above worldly cares.

9…  WHY:

In  golf, where did the term 'Caddie' come from?

BECAUSE:

When  Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France,  learned that she loved the Scots game 'golf.' He had the first course  outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment.  To make sure she was  properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets  from a military school to accompany her.  Mary liked this a lot and  when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she  took the practice with her.  In French, the word cadet is pronounced  ‘ca-day' and the Scots changed it into caddie.

And  now you know the origins of some of our strange customs.....