Okay, so yesterday, my two young women friends came to play Canasta. We had not seen each other for quite a while, and I confess we did more talking and catching up than actually playing cards. We eventually managed to complete a game, but it took hours.
Of course, since I'm quite a bit more aged (like a good bottle of whiskey) than they, we often end up in giggles over something 'old-fashioned' I've said, and as it was when my daughter was little and she got that "I really want to believe you...but can you prove it, please?" look on her face. So it is with these young ladies, they get the same look. Such was the case yesterday. Now, I might not be putting this down accurately, but the afternoon went something like this.
One of them was singing (not quite under her breath) a song with words something about a 'brick house', and wondered if it had something to do with a girl. I said, I would not be at all surprised, because years ago guys would talk about a 'much endowed' girl as being "built like a brick s--t house".
This was greeted with one of those above mentioned looks. Fortunately, they had a phone that connected with the Internet, and she looked up the phrase "built like a brick s--t house, and lo, there it was.
This of course led to the question of why anyone would need one that was made of brick, and I proceeded to explain the importance of Outhouses. And why they needed to be built to withstand all kinds of inclement weather, the better built...well...the better. And, further stated that if a family had "a two holer", that was a really big deal.
Again, I got that look. And although I couldn't honestly say I remembered the exact reason some Outhouses had two holes, the phone again came in handy, explaining that one hole was sized for adults, while the second hole was smaller, for the most obvious reason. (I'm suddenly overcome with giggles, as I'm picturing a child falling into the larger hole and taking a trip, down, down, down.)
Once we had these matters explained, we got back to playing cards.
Some where along the way, I happened to utter the phrase. "By George, I think she's got it."
Well, now, don't you know...the question came up, "Who is this George?" I suggested it might have been King George, but that I didn't really know. Although I thought that seemed logical.
By now it was getting late and we had one last hand to go, so the question about George was left unanswered.
Okay, I confess, I have stewed about who's George off and on all day. Finally, I couldn't stand not knowing. So, for my young friends and you, too, this is what I learned.
I must confess, there was not a lot to research, however, from wiki.answers.com I found this: " 'By George' is a linguistic corruption of 'by Jove' that entered into the English language in or around the 1500's as a way of invoking god without actually using the word "God" which was considered blasphemous."
And, did find the statement "By George, I think she's got it." seems to have become popular from George Bernard Shaws play Pygmalion in 1913, as professor Higgins tries to teach Eliza proper pronunciations, and even more so when the play was turn into the movie "My Fair Lady" in 1964/65. (The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain).
I find it quite fascinating that years ago this research would have taken a great deal of time as I would have had to perused the encyclopedias and text books in my library. Perhaps I would have had to go to the public library as well. This evening, all it took was a tiny bit of typing, a few clicks of my mouse, and quick as a wink, website after website was at my disposal.
Think about it, yesterday the Internet was available on a devise 3 inches by 5 inches, tonight it was there on my wide screen monitor, doesn't matter whether I want to know about brick Outhouses, what two 'holers are, or who the heck 'George' is the information of the world is at my fingertips, it's a wonderful age in which we live.
By George, I'm glad I've got it.
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