Delicious Phrases

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To Stew in One?s Own Juices
Meaning to suffer the consequences of your own actions, the phrase goes back to the 13th century when ?stewing in your own juices? was a euphemism for being burned at the stake.

Pleased as Punch
Believe it or not, the punch in the phrase doesn?t refer to a tasty beverage, but instead to the main character in the old-time Punch and Judy puppet shows. A staple at European carnivals, the ?Punch and Judy? show was madly popular in the days before TV. The humorous puppet act always ended in a pleased Punch outwitting his shrewish wife, hence the phrase.

Baker?s Dozen
Bakers of old weren?t exactly the most ethical people. In fact, it was pretty well known that bakers duped customers regularly by making loaves of bread that contained more air pockets than solid material. By 1266 the British Parliament was fed up (or not fed up, as it were) with the airy substitutes, so they mandated a law that bread had to be sold by weight. The penalties were pretty extreme. (A Turkish version of the law stated that bakers were to be nailed to their shop doors by the ears if they shortchanged a customer.) Most bakers, however, didn?t have the proper weighing equipment. Bakers quickly decided that forking over an extra loaf for every dozen was an easy way to avoid a sentence.

From Mental Floss (Vol. 1, Issue 5). A magazine built on fun facts (?No U.S. president was an only child?; ?Leave It to Beaver? was the first American television show to air a flushing toilet?; ??Sukoshi yotte imasu? is how you say ?I?m drunk? in Japanese?), Mental Floss has a breezy take on everything from art and politics to science and religion, making it the perfect pre?cocktail party read. Subscriptions: $21.97/yr. (6 issues) from Box 377, Mt. Morris, IL 61054.

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