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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 19, 2004 Food & History Origins of everyday phrases Jeff Cheek Food is such an essential part of our lives that many common phrases are rooted in the cultivation, preparation, and consumption of what we eat. Here are just a few. o Fishwife: This is a term for "a coarse, raucous woman," but it should be a compliment. When a fisherman returned home he was tired and sleepy. His wife took his catch to market. She called out "fresh fish for sale." Fish must be sold quickly. As the day went by, and the fish started to turn, she dashed about and shouted even louder to sell her wares. o Keep your nose to the grindstone: Wheat or corn was ground between two counter-rotating grindstones. If the stones were set too close together, heat from friction would result, scorching the flour. The miller sniffed the grindstones to make sure this did not happen. o The world is my oyster: We owe Elizabeth I for this phrase. She loved the comical Falstaff character that Shakespeare had created and ordered the playwright to write another play with Falstaff as the lead. "The Merry Wives of Windsor" was written for the queen. Oysters were both food and the source of pearls. After Falstaff refuses to loan money to Pistol, in Act II, Pistol says: "Why, when the world is my oyster Which I with sword shall open �" o Eat crow: The expression dates back to the Middle Ages. Game such as ducks and pheasants went to the master. The serfs and servants had to eat crows, which were plentiful but less palatable. Having a crow to pick with someone come from this time, also. It took a long time to remove thousands of small black feathers, so two people often worked on the same bird. This came to mean a long, often contentious, discussion. o Adam's apple: Men like Clint Eastwood have a large epiglottis, a hard cartilage protecting the larynx. This is called the Adam's Apple. Legend states that, when Adam ate the forbidden fruit Eve gave him, part of it stuck in his throat. o Venison: This term has come to mean deer meat. When the term first came into the English language in the 13th Century, it meant any game killed in a hunt, coming from the Latin "venatio" (hunting). o Humble pie: This is another common expression from Medieval England marking the social distinction between commoners and the aristocracy. The best cuts of meat were served to the upper class. The entrails were called "the umbles." The servants were served a pie, most of it tripe, made from these discards. Eating humble pie meant that the person eating it had to accept his lower status and defer to more important people. o Cold shoulder: When we give someone a cold shoulder, we are passing a subtle message that he or she is not welcome. In the Middle Ages, guests were welcomed with a heavy meal featuring a hot joint of roast mutton. If the visitor stayed too long, the host switched to a cold shoulder of mutton to remind his visitors they should move along. o Mad as a hatter: We use this phrase to question someone's sanity but it has both a medical and historical root. Until the invention of felt-making machines in 1846, felt for hats was made by hand. The hatters suffered from long exposure to mercuric oxide, which eventually gave them incoherent speech and mental confusion. White asparagus soup This white asparagus soup is tasty and easily prepared.Ingredients: 2 10-oz. cans white asparagus, undrained 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons flour 4 14-oz. cans chicken broth 1 cup light cream Preparation: Pour asparagus into blender. Blend for about two minutes until it is a soft mush. Set aside. Melt butter over low heat in deep saucepan, stir in flour and make a paste. Add broth and pureed asparagus, stirring with whisk to avoid lumps. Simmer for five minutes, stir in cream. Season to taste, simmer for one or two minutes and serve. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams