It was the accepted practice in Babylonia 4,000 years ago
that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his
son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because
their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey
month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon".
Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb
or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too
cold, and the yeast wouldn't grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb
in the beer is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb".
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in
old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to
mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase
"mind your P's and Q's".
After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called
aul, or ale, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle often without armor
or even shirts. In fact, the term "berserk" means "bear
shirt" in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.
In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water
down the navy's rum. Needless to say, the sailors weren't too pleased and
called Admiral Vernon, Old Grog, after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore.
The term "grog" soon began to mean the watered down drink itself.
When you were drunk on this grog, you were "groggy", a word still in
use today.
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle
baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups.When they needed a refill,
they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle", is the
phrase inspired by this practice.