Introduction

In compiling this book, I was reminded of a story my grandpa once told me about a young bride preparing her first Thanksgiving meal under the watchful eye of her new husband. When she got to the holiday ham, she systematically cut off the ends and placed them in a pan. Her new husband, not certain of the proper cooking procedure for hams, asked his bride, "Why did you cut off the ends?" Her reply: "Because my mother always did."

Later that day, the mother of the bride showed up early to help, and the newlywed husband thought it an opportune time to learn more about this strange family custom. So he pulled his new mother in law aside and asked, "It all makes sense; but why did she cut off the ends of the ham before cooking?" With as much consideration as the daughter had given the question earl ... read full excerpt from I Didn't Know That: From "Ants in the Pants" to "Wet Behind the Ears"--the Unusual Origins of the Things We Say ebook

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