(1884)[转帖]aidigu:信不信由你

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb" 

（有这么个说法）十五世纪的英国有一条法律，只能容许男人用不超过大拇指粗的棍子殴打妻子。这就是英文中“经验法则”（直译：大拇指法则）的来源。
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. 

许久以前，苏格兰发明了一个新游戏。当时规定，这个游戏是“限于男士，谢绝女士”。这就是“高尔夫”这个名词的来源。（难怪日本的男人这么喜欢打高尔夫，男女不平等嘛！）
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. 

公园里的铸像常见有骑在战马上的英雄。如果马的两条前腿都在空中，表示这人是战死的。如果只有一条腿在空中，那么，这人是因伤致死。如果四条腿都在地上，那么，这人是死于自然原因。

（如果没有骑马，是不是从战场逃跑？）
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What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common? 

防弹衣，走火通道，和汽车上的风窗玻璃刮水器，三者有什么共同点？

A. All were invented by women. 

它们都是妇女发明的。
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.

When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase...... ... "goodnight, sleep tight." 

在莎士比亚的年代，床垫是用绳索绑在床架上。

当你收缩绳索的时候，床垫就绷紧了，睡在上面也感觉比较坚实。因此，才有了“晚安，睡得结实一点。”这样问安的语句。
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon. 

四千年前的巴比伦有个习俗。在婚礼举行过一个月之内，新娘的父亲会供给新郎所有他能喝得下的蜜蜂啤酒。又因为他们当时使用的是阴历，所以这个月就叫做蜜月。（月 = moon，而非指month）

（幸亏只有一个月，否则个个都成了醉仙了。）
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." 

在英国的酒吧，购买啤酒的单位时是品脱与夸脱。所以在老英格兰，当客人们开始胡来的时候，酒保会大声呵斥：“请你关心自己的品脱和夸脱（即紧守本分），安静下来。”

It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's" 

这就是“请紧守本分”这个词的来源。