Anyone have any similar interesting but useless facts like this one?

Question

I heard an interesting fact once about where the phrase OK comes from.

Basically during the War (well a war but no too sure which one, would guess WW1) they used to keep a tally of the dead. They would chalk it up on a black board for all to see. If there were soldiers Killed that day then it would say 12 K, 22 K, 16 K or what ever. However if none were killed that day it would say 0 K so people would say that it is OK meaning knowbody died at least .

And that is where the phrase elegedly comes from.

Has anyone else heard this and do you belive it? Also does anyone have any other interesting facts like that?

Many thanks!!!

Answer 1

The phrase the cat's pajamas (the 1920's way to say someone is the bee's knees) comes from Katz' pajamas - a man named Katz who made silk PJ's for the rich.

Answer 2

Again, I'm not too sure if this is based in fact or erroneous but I was once told that 'Taking the p!ss' has it's origin back in the days when Britain had a huge wool industry.
Apparently urea is the best substance for treating or softening wool fibers, however, in the north where the wool was produced there was an insufficient amount. As we all know, the easiest and cheapest way of obtaining urea is from our own bladders, so merchant ships and canal boats used to ship it up north.
Nobody liked to admit to shipping so unsavory an item, so when asked they would say that they were transporting wine....
To this the reply would be, "No mate, You're taking the P!SS"
The person who told me this could of course been 'taking the p!ss' himself, but I like the story anyway.
Good luck with your search.

Answer 3

Hey, I don't know about "OK" but those are interesting variations. One good useless fact I've heard over the years is the term "scuttlebutt" which is basically like rumors or the such. From what I was told, it is derived from the days of sailing when (for the days entertainment) the men would gather around the "scuttle" of the ship, or center post, and talk of everything that goes on with the ship, eachother, pretty much get to the "butt" of whatever is going on with the ship and it's people. Hence the term Scuttlebutt.

Answer 4

Interesting

Answer 5

OK has an older lineage than that

There are several theories about the origins of this word, some of them apocryphal and none of them conclusive, although the suggested origin as an initialism of oll korrect has relatively widespread support.

Whatever its origin, the word spread around the world, the "okay" spelling of it first appearing in British writing in the 1860s. Spelled out in full in the 20th century, 'okay' has come to be in everyday use among English speakers, and borrowed by non-English speakers. Occasionally a humorous form okee dokee (or okey dokey) is used, as well as A-ok.

Answer 6

The children's song Ring Around The Rosey actually comes from a disease.
The story goes: The disease is like a rotting flesh disorder. It causes a smell. They used to put flowers/poseys in the pockets of the afflicted to help mask or cover up the horrible smell. the afflicted often were called "Rosey's". The bodies of the afflicted were also burned because of the risk of spreading the disease.

So, ring around the rosey, pocket full of poseys- ashes ashes they all fall down.
Gross but true. Nice childrens song eh?

Answer 7

Reminds me of a story I heard about "Kilroy was here". Apparently, during WWII, there was a soldier in the U.S. military supply depot and the sergeant was always on his case for being a goldbrick (being lazy, avoiding work, etc.), and so this guy, named Kilroy, started marking everything that came through his station with "Kilroy was here" to prove that he'd been on the job. According to legend, other soldiers picked it up, and when U.S. troops moved onto the beaches at Normandy, they saw that a pathfinder (early special forces troops who snuck into France to set up the landing zones for gliders and paratroops) had scrawled "Kilroy was here" on the side of a Nazi bunker sometime during the night.

Answer 8

Humpty Dumpty was a satirical reference to a political figure's rise and fall...I just can't remember which political figure off the top of my head!
The exclamation"Sacre Bleu!" refers to a French king's dog! He wouldn't allow taking the Lord's name in vain.

Answer 9

It seems plausible. I'd like to know if it were true or not. The only useless fact I can think of is that pigs orgasms last for about half an hour. Lucky pigs.

Answer 10

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