[
What’s the Real Story Behind the Term ‘Freelancer?’
For a lot of people these days, the job market is still a pretty gloomy affair. Temporary jobs, part-time work and freelancing have all been on the rise. Well, for those of you who make your bread and butter by freelancing, you can take heart. You’re in the company of proud, if somewhat immoral, warriors.
[
What’s the Real Story Behind the Phrase ‘Pardon My French?’
When you tell someone, “please pardon my French,” you are in fact apologizing for your offensive language. When French people speak French, they don’t say, “pardon my English” when they want to cuss someone out.
So what’s going on here? Do the French have better curse words than we do?
[
Where Is It Illegal in the US for Men to Wear Strapless Dresses?
It all starts the same — you and your buddies are pounding down beers at your favorite bar, and before you know it, you’re running down the street in your girlfriend’s dress while your friends are passed out on the sidewalk. It may be fun to party real hard like this sometimes, but it’s actually illegal to replicate this scenario somewhere in the US… the dress part, anyway.
[
The Real Story Behind the Expression ‘Face the Music’
When a parent, a boss, a co-worker or someone in a position of authority tells us that we have to ‘face the music,’ we know we’ve probably done something wrong, and now we’re in for a bit of trouble.
Where on Earth does this expression come from, though?
[
The Real Story Behind the Phrase ‘In the Nick of Time’
When something gets done ‘in the nick of time,’ it means the clock is about run out, and whatever needed doing almost didn’t get done at all. In the movie ‘The Hangover,’ the guys have a wild bachelor’s party weekend in Las Vegas, and only make it back to Los Angeles for the groom’s wedding ‘in the nick of time.’
But where exactly does this oft-used expression come from?
[
What’s the Real Story Behind the Popular Soft Drink Coca-Cola?
Nothing could be more American than sitting down with your friends, in a restaurant or during the big game, and enjoying a great big glass of Coca-Cola, right? Coca-Cola means Santa Claus, family outings and summertime fun… in other words, pure Americana.
So, what does Coca-Cola have to do with America’s war on drugs?
[
Can You Guess the Country That Banned Donald Duck?
Perhaps hate is too strong of a sentiment, but one nation, it seems, was so offended by Disney’s Donald Duck that it banned the depictions of the character from the country. Can you guess the country?
[
Where Does the Phrase ‘Paint the Town Red’ Come From?
When you hit the streets and tell everyone you’re gonna “paint the town red,” what you really mean to say is that you and your compadres are planning a no holds barred evening (and maybe early morning) of heavy drinking, dancing and all around bacchanalian excess.
[
Curling 101 – Everything You Need to Know About the Game
You might think you’ve tried every ice and snow sport there is, but unless you’re already a member of a very strange and unique ice and granite-loving tribe, you probably haven’t tried curling yet.
[
What’s the Real Story Behind Men Wearing Ties?
Despite what many a working stiff might think, men do not wear neckties to facilitate strangulation when their bosses are less than pleased with their work.
So, why do men wear this variable, often quite fashionable, and utterly useless piece of business attire?
[
5 Winter Sports You Don’t Need an Olympic Medal to Play
Joe Shlabotnik, Flickr
Often times when you think of playing some sort of winter sport, you think of skiing, luge, snowboarding, and all those other hard to play games. (That is, hard if you're not an Olympian.) For
[
Where Did the Phrase ‘Got You Over a Barrel’ Come From?
If someone has you ‘over a barrel,’ it’s never a good sign. This phrase means you’re in an extremely vulnerable position, and another human being (most likely not a friend) is taking advantage of that vulnerability.