The phrase 'rule of thumb' is derived from and old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
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The word 'mile' is derived from the Latin word for 1,000 - the number of paces it took the average Roman!
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The distress code 'Mayday' comes from the French for help me, M'Aide!
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The word Tips is actually an acronym standing for 'To Insure Prompt Service'.
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The word 'mortgage' comes from a French law term that means 'death pledge'.
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In England, in the 1880's, 'Pants' was considered a dirty word.
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Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel, "Gadsby", which contains over 50,000 words -- none of them with the letter E!
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