Why when someone receives an unfair judgment do we say they’ve been given a “short shrift”?

Shrift is an ancient word and comes from the act of shriving, which is the confessional process conducted by a priest. In his pursuit of forgiveness, a confessor seeks absolution for the sins of his soul through a process of penance administered by the priest. A short shrift refers to the brief time allowed with a priest to a condemned convict just before his execution.

Why is the Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church called the “Pope,” and where is the “Holy See”?

In Italian, the word pope is an endearment meaning “father” or “papa.” The responsibility of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church is to build bridges between God and mankind, and the title Pontiff is from the original Roman reference pontifex, meaning “bridge builder.” The Holy See is a corruption of “Holy seat,” or throne, and refers to the place where this throne is housed.

Why are ministers of the gospel called “Reverend,” “Pastor,” or “Parson”?

Reverend first appeared in seventeenth-century England and is derived from the Latin reverendus, meaning “worthy of respect.” Pastor is from the Latin word for shepherd, which is how Christ referred to himself. On the other hand, parson comes from New England, where because the minister was one of the few who could read or write they called him “the town person,” which in the local accent became “the town parson.”

Why do we say that someone going nowhere is in “limbo”?

To be in limbo means nothing is happening, neither good nor bad. Because the Christian church believed that only those “born again” could enter heaven they needed an afterlife destination for the other good souls. Limbo is the rim of hell and the destination for the righteous who died before the coming of Christ as well as infants, unbelievers, and the unbaptized. Limbo is a place without glory or pain.

Why is happiness referred to as “seventh heaven” or “cloud nine”?

The ancient Jews believed that the highest heaven, or “heaven of heavens,” and the home of God and his chosen angels was the seventh heaven. The Moslems agreed that the seventh heaven was the pinnacle of ecstasy. “Cloud nine” was coined by the U.S. weather bureau and means “as high as clouds can get,” or between thirty and forty thousand feet. Its meaning as a euphoric state came about in the 1950s.

When someone we are discussing shows up, why do we say, “Speak of the Devil”?

When someone recently mentioned in a conversation suddenly turns up we might say, “Speak of the Devil” as though our conversation has brought the subject into our midst. This is precisely what the expression means, because in the Middle Ages it was believed that any mention of the Devil would be an invitation for the evil one to appear either in spirit or in action, and so other than within ecclesiastical circles, his name was avoided at all costs.

Why is it bad luck to open an umbrella indoors?

The umbrella is an ancient African innovation and was intended as a portable shade against the sun. After entering Europe through Spain in the twelfth century it became more valuable as a protection from the rain. The superstition of bad luck if opened indoors came from the African belief that to open an umbrella in the shade was an insult to the sun god and would cause him to bring down his wrath on the offender.

Why does a bad day mean that you got up on the “wrong side of the bed”?

For centuries, to be left-handed was considered evil. Ancient Egyptians drew all the good armies as being right-handed, while the enemies were lefties. Until only recently left-handed children were forced to learn to use their right hands in school. The word ambidextrous means two right hands. Getting up on the wrong side of the bed means your left foot touched the floor first, signalling that you were open to dark influences.

Why is breaking a mirror considered seven years of bad luck?

Before glass was introduced in 1300 A.D., manufactured mirrors were simply polished metal. Around 6 B.C., in much the same manner one would now use as a crystal ball, the Greeks began practising fortunetelling from a subject’s reflected image in a bowl of water. If, during a reading, the bowl with the image fell and broke it meant disaster. The Romans limited the curse to seven years because they believed that’s how long it took for human life to renew itself.

How did astrology connect the lives of Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Charlie Chaplin with that of Adolf Hitler?

Chaplin and Hitler were associated astrologically from birth, because both men were born within the same hour in the same week of the same year. The date connecting Churchill and FDR with the German dictator is January 30. It’s the date of President Roosevelt’s birth, Winston Churchill’s death, and Hitler’s ascension to power in Germany.

Did the near tragedy of Apollo 13 cause the NASA scientists to become superstitious?

Apollo 13 was launched on the eleventh of the fourth month in the seventieth year of that century. One plus one plus four plus seven plus zero totals thirteen. Liftoff was at 13:13 central military time, and the explosion took place on the thirteenth day of April. NASA claims no superstition — but has never again used the number thirteen on a manned space flight.

Why do some people believe black cats are bad luck?

If you believe that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck, you believe in witchcraft. Legend has its that in the 1560s in England, a father and son threw stones at a cat that had startled them on a moonless night. The wounded cat ran into the nearby home of a suspected witch. The next day the old woman was seen in public limping and bruised, and a superstition was born which caused the burning alive of innocent women in the seventeenth century.

Why is a rabbit’s foot considered good luck?

If you realize that primitive societies couldn’t tell the difference between a rabbit and a hare, then you’ll understand this ancient logic as to why the rabbit’s foot is a symbol of good luck. Hares are born with their eyes open, giving them knowledge of prenatal life. The rabbit burrows underground and shares secrets with the underworld. Finally, both animals’ incredible fertility could be shared by carrying the rabbit’s foot as a phallus of good luck.

What is the origin of the Tooth Fairy?

The ritual of placing a baby tooth under the pillow to be replaced overnight with money from the Tooth Fairy is a compilation of several European customs. In Venice an old witch did the job, while in France the Virgin Mary traded money and sometimes candy for children’s teeth. Other cultures buried the tooth, or threw it at the sun for favours from the gods. The fairy was of course an Irish innovation and took hold in North America during the middle of the ninetenth century.

What is the curse on the Hope diamond?

The Hope diamond is a steel blue, forty-four-and-a-half-carat, walnutsized diamond that is supposedly cursed, since it was stolen from the statue of a Hindu god in 1642. Since then, its owners, including Marie Antoinette, have all had brushes with madness and violent death. It’s named after a British banking family who were financially ruined. It’s now at the Smithsonian Institute and is owned by the government of the United States of America.

Why are cemeteries filled with tombstones?

Today, a tombstone is a tribute marking someone’s final resting place, but the custom began within ancient fears that the departed spirit might rise from the grave to search out and inhabit the body of a living person. To prevent this, the coffin was nailed shut, a heavy stone was placed on its lid, and it was buried deep in the ground. For even greater security, another heavier stone was placed on the surface over the grave, giving us the tombstone.

Why do people in mourning wear black?

Today, mourners wear black as a symbol of sadness and respect for their lost loved ones, but it didn’t start out that way. Many years ago it was believed that the spirit of the departed, fearing harsh judgement, would try to remain on earth by inhabiting a familiar body. The mourners wore black and stayed indoors or in shadows to hide from the departed spirit who sought to possess them.

Why after boasting do we knock on wood?

When children play tag and hold a tree for safety, they are acting out a four-thousand-year-old custom of the North American Indians who believed that because the oak was most frequently struck by lightning, it was the home of the sky god. The Greeks came to this same conclusion two thousand years later and because both cultures believed that bragging or boasting offended that god, they knocked on the tree either to divert him from their bragging or to seek forgiveness.

Why are new ships christened with champagne?

Beginning around the tenth century with the idea that the departed spirits would guide seamen on the ocean, ships were christened, or blessed, with the blood of sacrificial victims, which was splashed throughout the vessel. Eventually those who thought this too barbaric began using red wine, but the Christian church complained that this was an affront to its sacraments, and so ships were christened with white wine, the best of which is champagne.

What is Tecumseh’s Curse?

The great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, who died fighting with Canada against the United States’ invasion in the War of 1812, placed a curse on the American presidency. He proclaimed that every president elected in a year that ends in a zero would die during his term. Since then, every president elected in such a year has died in office, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, who was shot, but survived. Here is a complete list of presidents affected by the curse:

• William Henry Harrison, elected in 1840, died of pneumonia one month into his presidency.
• Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was assassinated in 1865 at the beginning of his second term.
• James A. Garfield, elected in 1880, was assassinated in 1881.
• William McKinley, elected for his second term in 1900, was assassinated in 1901.
• Warren G. Harding, elected in 1920, died of Ptomaine poisoning in 1923.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected for his third term in 1940, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945 at the beginning of his fourth term.
• John F. Kennedy, elected in 1960, was assassinated in 1963.
• Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, survived an assassination attempt while in office. Some say that by surviving he broke the curse.