"Money for old rope"
After a public hanging the hangman would cut up the rope used and sell it to the spectators!
"Hangers on"
Whilst a hanged man/woman was suspended on the rope, but not dead the "Hangers on" would hang onto the legs of the hanged person to speed up his/her death!

ANYONE KNOW ANY MORE?

Threshold-
this was a piece of wood put across the opening of a door to keep the "thresh" in the house, thresh being the straw used as animal bedding in times when we all lived with our animals( I still do!!), the threshold kept everything in the house.

What about "Hang Fire"- meaning "Wait a minute"
I tried to explain it to someone last week but without knowing the origins, it was a bit hard to do!

I have a book with a whole load of these things in, but I have just lent it to someone. I think its called Red Herrings & White Elephants.

“Hang Fire”, at a guess, would derive from the 1800s when insurance companies put plates on the walls of customers’ homes, indicating that they were insured by that company. No plate on wall — no putting the fire out!

Nope.
"Hang Fire" comes from the days when guns were fired by igniting powder in a hole/tube that burnt down to the main charge in the barrel.

Sometimes that fuse would not burn properly (damp or poor quality) and just smoulder slowly, leaving a very dangerous situation with a gun that could discharge at any time.

Such problems were termed "hang fire".

"Pull the other one, its got bells on!" was often yelled at hangers on as they swung from one of the hanged mans legs.
Its also where the term "Gallows humour" originates.

Most of these derivations can be found in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable.

"Eaves dropping" dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when the old houses had large, open eaves, where it was possible to stand and clandestinely listen to what was going off inside.....

Most of these derivations can be found in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable.

A copy of which I have at my elbow; and it confirms CGK's derivation of the phrase 'Hang Fire'. :)

Can't be bothered to look through the whole thread to see if anyone's mentioned it, but Sheffield Telegraph have this sort of thing every week on the inside cover.

Can't be bothered to look through the whole thread...
Can't be bothered? There are only ten previous posts! :hihi: .

Can't be bothered? There are only ten previous posts! :hihi: .

Your point being...?

Your point being...?
You're lazy and should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself :hihi: .

You're lazy and should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself :hihi: .

Sorry...

:( :( :(

"Money for old rope"
After a public hanging the hangman would cut up the rope used and sell it to the spectators!
"Hangers on"
Whilst a hanged man/woman was suspended on the rope, but not dead the "Hangers on" would hang onto the legs of the hanged person to speed up his/her death!

ANYONE KNOW ANY MORE?

I think that is where the expression 'pulling your leg' comes from too.

Being 'fed up' comes from the days when birds of prey were used for hunting. All birds of prey are basically lazy, and in the wild only get off their perches when they're hungry!
If a bird used for hunting wasn't kept a little bit hungry, it wouldn't fly - it was fed up.

Under the weather......
Back in't day, when people at sea were feeling seasick they were taken to the lower decks of the ship where there is least motion, hence "under the weather"
Although these days we know the best thing to do is look at the horizon as its all in your mind.