Did you know?

It is said that travel broadens the mind and I found this so on a recent trip to England, the island of my birth.

The information I picked up during my day in Stratford-upon Avon probably wasn't new to me. It renewed what I had buried in a corner of my mind since long ago school days.

During a tour of William Shakespeare's residence, the tour guide told of the origination of phrases from the 1600s. In the early years birds and mice burrowed into the thatched roofs of cottages which caused the roofs to raise up and down with the motion of their fluttering and scampering. Hence the saying, "Raise the roof." The thatched roofs of cottages that have weathered over time are now covered with chicken wire for protection against unwanted pests.

Canopies became fashionable with a reason. They caught droppings of straw, dirt and insects that fell from the thatch. Box springs were in the far distant future. Straw mattresses were supported by ropes threaded through wood pegs that were inserted along the outside of the wood frame. When the ropes under the mattress slackened they were tightened by twisting the pegs. Remember this the next time you say, "Good night, sleep tight."

I'm sure you have heard the phrase "Upper crust," which derived from bread baked in ovens heated by wood fires inside the oven. The ashes were scooped out with a large shovel, which left traces of ash in the bottom of the oven. This had to be done quickly to prevent the oven from cooling. The loaves were slid from a metal paddle onto the base of the oven. When the bread was removed, the flat loaves, which didn't contain yeast, were browned by heating the metal paddle over an open flame and placed on top of the bread. The bottom of the loaves, black with ashes, was the part the servants ate. The browned "upper crust" was served to the family who employed them. Though bread baking had improved by the 30s, the British gentry were still referred to as the "Upper crust."

During the Roman era in England, salt was used as legal tender for food and supplies. A person who had no salt to pay his bills was labeled "Not worth his salt."

A person of scruffy attire was called a "Flea bag" though not necessarily a carrier of fleas. Way back then, people wore a small bag around their neck made of flesh and fur, to attract the fleas. What a horrible thought.

Do you have a "Frog in your throat?" Well you won't have one ever again after your hear this. In the early days of medicine it was believed that by sliding a frog down a patient's throat it would cure anything that ailed him. I'd say this is a kill or cure remedy and the frog had to be a small one.

The kitchen table was made with long narrow boards. The person who sat in the chair at the head of the table was addressed as the "Chairman of the board." The table had a dual purpose. For overnight guests they "Turned the table."

The phrase "Burn the candle at both ends" is from the same period. Bull rushes were dried, folded in half and dipped in mutton fat. An iron clip held the fold in place. Both ends of the V were lit. The light of the burning reeds lasted about 15 minutes.

From the late 1700s comes the origination of "OK." My sister Joan was a walking library of trivia. She read that this slang expression, still used today, came into being by a man who used his initials only when approving papers that crossed his desk. I have the mans name filed away for a time such as this, but where? My mother's words "I'll know where it is when I put my hands on it," ring loud and clear.

From the windows of the red, double decker tour bus, I saw refurbished thatched roof cottages and visualized life inside as it was in bygone days compared to what it would be now.

No need for a canopy over a bed, or listening to birds, and mice homing in the thatch. Bread from a bakery on the table that is browned evenly on top and bottom, and hopefully enough money in the kitty to meet the monthly bills rather than salt in the cellar for payment.

Reflections of yesterdays living conditions gave me reason to appreciate the progress that has made our lives what they are today.