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The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts from the 1500s.
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, even in June they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water. Following him, the same water was used by the other men, the sons, the women, and finally the children. Last of all came the babies. By then, the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw, piled high. It was the only place for animals to get warm. So all the dogs, cats, and other small critters (including mice, rats, and bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained, it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of both wealth and that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and sit around and "chew the fat."
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. They might be taken for dead and prepared for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table. The family would gather around and eat and drink for a couple of days and wait to see it they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."
England is old and small and they started running out of places to bury people. So, they would dig up coffins and reuse the graves. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside. They realized they had been burying people alive. So, a string was tied on the wrist of the deceased. It led up through the coffin, up through the ground, and was tied to a bell. Someone sat out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell. Thus, someone could be "saved by the bell," or be considered a "dead ringer."
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Denis Leary
'Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.' ~
Einstein