In this cold and frigid winter respite that we are forced to take, it can also be a great opportunity for us to take personal inventory. I know I was just bitching about having to put $600 into the car for repairs, but come a few weeks later with the arctic drop - I sure am grateful to have a heater that works and a windshield that can defrost.
Thus a look back at some American vernacular phrases that have come to be commonplace. All of them have roots in the poverty of the dust bowl when life was much harder and things were certainly never taken for granted. "Piss Poor" or "Didn't Have a Pot to Piss In." Did you know that human urine was then used to tan animal hides for clothing and other uses. These two terms were meant for those lowly families that could not even afford a pot to take it to the tanneries. How about "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater?" Back then a daily shower was not a given. Often cleansing was even a monthly task and a single tub served for multiple family members. The baby was the last one to bathe and by then the tub was often dirt black. Speaking of daily bread - we assume that it is a staple of life. But bread was also often divided by status. The wealthy got the best cuts and the poor were destined to burnt ends or crusts - thus the term "Upper Crust."
Check out this informative blog post with great photos and tons more Americana verbiage.
From the Poor Side of the Tracks
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