WHY is the first period of married life known as “the honeymoon”?
BECAUSE of an ancient custom in the northern nations of Europe. The bride and bridegroom, for a month after the wedding, drank a wine made from honey as their principal form of nourishment. It was called the honey-month or moon.
WHY is the fee given to a servant called a “tip”?
BECAUSE the letters which compose the word are the initials of “to insure promptness,” an inscription on the money boxes which used to be in every tavern. Into these the traveler dropped his coin, and the staff, as a whole, shared the benefit. This custom still prevails in some places, but in the United States we give the fee to the particular individual who serves us.
WHY do we say “Uncle Sam” when referring to the United States?
BECAUSE the initials “U. S.” were once believed by a few workmen to refer to “Uncle Sam” Wilson who was government inspector, at Troy, in 1812. When the war began, Elbert Anderson, a New York contractor, bought a large quantity of beef, pork, and pickles for the army. These were inspected by Wilson and marked E. A., U. S., meaning Elbert Anderson, for the United States. After discovering that the letters did not apply to Wilson, the men still kept up the “Uncle Sam” as a joke. These same men carried it into the army and from there it got into print. From that time the term has been used for the United States.