The origins of some figures of speech are obvious – “putting the cart before the horse,” for instance.  Others are a little more obscure.  Here are the explanations behind three common expressions: Pulling the wool over their eyes.  In the 17th and 18th centuries, thieves and robbers would yank their victims’ wool wigs down over their eyes so they couldn’t see who was attacking them. Blackmail.  In 16th-century England, mail meant... [read more]

A high school freshman won first prize at a science fair for his experiment demonstrating people’s gullibility.  He was attempting to show how conditioned we’ve become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment.  In his project, the student urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical dihydrogen monoxide for the following good reasons: 1. It is a major component in acid... [read more]