“WHY IS IT SO”? – By Des Kelly

      Something for my readers to ponder. WHY is it, that, 

1.  A day with no sunlight is like night.
2.  On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3.  42.7% of all statistics are made up, on the spot.
4.  99% of Lawyers give the others a bad name.
5.  Remember, half the people you know are below average
6.  He, who laughs last, thinks slowest.
7.  Depression is merely anger, without enthusiasm. 
8.  The early bird may get the worm, but the 2nd mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9.  Support bacteria, it’s the only culture most people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis?, raise my hand!.

14. O.K., we know about the speed of light, well, what is the speed of dark?.

15. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future, laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the Ocean be, without Sponges?.

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels do not get sucked into Jet-engines.

19. What happens if you get half scared to death, twice?.
20. Why do psychics have to ask you, your name?.
21. Inside every older person, there is a younger person wondering what the heck happened.

22.Just remember, if the World didn’t suck, we would all fall off.

23. Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear to be bright, until you hear them speak.

24. Life isn’t  like a box of chocolates. It’s more like a jar of Jalapenos.What you do today might burn your butt tomorrow.

25. How can I soar like an eagle, when I’m surrounded by turkeys?.

 

WHY, WHY, WHY ?

Why do men’s clothes have buttons on the right while women’s clothes have buttons on the left ?

BECAUSE

When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on
the left.  Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid’s right!   And that’s where women’s buttons have remained since.

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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.’

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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.’ 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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10. 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.

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BIG CHEEKS.

Bet you don’t know “Big cheeks” !!

Big cheeks. A grandson of slaves, a boy was born in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans known as the “Back of Town.”  His father abandoned the family when the child was an infant. His mother became a prostitute and the boy and his sister had to live with their grandmother.

Early in life he proved to be gifted for music and with three other kids he sang in the streets of New Orleans.  His first gains were coins that were thrown to them.

A Jewish family, Karnofsky, who had emigrated from Lithuania to the USA, had pity for the 7-year-old boy and brought him into their home. Initially giving ‘work’ in the house, to feed this hungry child. There he remained and slept in this Jewish family’s home where, for the first time in his life, he was treated with kindness and tenderness.

When he went to bed, Mrs Karnovsky sang him a Russian lullaby that he would sing with her. Later, he learned to sing and play several Russian and Jewish songs. 

Over time, this boy became the adopted son of this family The Karnofskys gave him money to buy his first musical instrument; as was the custom in the Jewish families. 

They sincerely admired his musical talent. Later, when he became a professional musician and composer, he used these Jewish melodies in compositions, such as St. James Infirmary and Go Down Moses.

The little black boy grew up and wrote a book about this Jewish family who had adopted him in 1907.  In memory of this family and until the end of his life, he wore a Star of David and said that in this family, he had learned “how to live real life and determination.”

You might recognize his name. This little boy was called :
Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. 

Louis Armstrong proudly spoke fluent Yiddish!  And “Satchmo” is Yiddish for “Big Cheeks” !!!

And I’ll bet you did not know any of this.

 

   Desmond Kelly

   Star of eLanka

 (Editor-in-Chief).