Uncle John’s Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader Read Free

names .
    Sun , Mississippi, or Moon , Mississippi?
    Black , Alabama, or White , Arkansas?
    Paradise , California, or Hell , Michigan?
    Rock , Kansas, or Roll , Oklahoma?
    Devil Town , Ohio, or Angel , Ohio?
    Papa , Hawaii, or Mummie , Kentucky?
    Cat Creek , Montana, or Dog Creek , Oklahoma?
    Smart , Virginia, or Dumbell , Wyoming?
    Hungry Horse , Montana, or Fuller , Montana?
    Sound Beach , New York, or Silent Grove , Arkansas?
    Democrat , Arkansas, or Republican , North Carolina?
    Start , Louisiana, or Stop , Georgia?
    War , West Virginia, or Peace , Alabama?
    Straight , Oklahoma, or Gay , Oklahoma?
    Duet , Virginia, or Solo , Tennessee?
    Liberty , Kentucky, or Justice , Kentucky?
    Can Do , North Dakota, or Defeated , Tennessee?
    Chance , Montana, or Fate , Texas?
    Boring , Oregon, or Rapture , Indiana?
    Rich , Tennessee, or Poor , Tennessee?
    Hate Cove , Massachusetts, or Love Cove , Maine?
    Darkesville , West Virginia, or Lightville , Ohio?
    Push , Arkansas, or Pull Tight , Alabama?
    Life , Tennessee, or Death Valley , California?
    What does the word “pizza” mean in Italian? Pie.

FAMILIAR PHRASES
    Where do these familiar terms and phrases come from? The BRI has researched them and come up with some interesting answers .
    G IVE A DAMN
    Meaning: To assign little or no significance to something
    Origin: “Originally ‘I don’t give a dam ,’ probably brought back to England from India by military men in the mid-18th century. A dam was an Indian coin of little value.” (From Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins , by Robert Hendrickson)
    LICK INTO SHAPE
    Meaning: Make ready or presentable
    Origin: “Bears are central figures in numerous superstitions. According to one belief, a cub is absolutely shapeless at birth. The mother and father bear were thought to lick their newborn into shape with their tongues. Persistence of the legend is due in part to the fact that few persons saw newborn cubs and lived to describe them.” (From Why You Say It , by Webb Garrison)
    AT FIRST BLUSH
    Meaning: Without prior knowledge; at first glance
    Origin: “The earliest use of this expression dates from the 16th century, when ‘blush’ meant not a reddening of the cheeks with embarrassment, but ‘glimpse’.” (From Have a Nice Day: No Problem: A Dictionary of Clichés , by Christine Ammer)
    CAKEWALK
    Meaning: Effortless; something easily accomplished
    Origin: “From a contest popular in the African-American community in the 19th century. Couples competed strolling arm in arm, with the prize—a cake—being awarded to the most graceful and stylish team. Cakewalking demanded both skill and grace, so victory was rarely a ‘cakewalk’ in our modern sense. That use came from the boxing ring, where an easy victory over an outclassed opponent was a ‘cakewalk’ compared to the ordinarily brutal and prolonged nature of the matches.” (From The Word Detective , by Evan Morris)
    Dumb joke: What does an educated owl say? Answer: “Whom.”

I HATE CLEANING!
    Even professional house cleaners draw the line at doing windows, and nobody enjoys cleaning the toilet. Now you don’t have to .
    P RODUCT: “Cleartect” self-cleaning glass
    BACKGROUND: Japan’s Nippon Sheet Glass Company began test-marketing the glass for large office buildings and airports, but they were soon overrun with requests from individual customers, so now it’s made for homes, too.
    HOW IT WORKS: The glass is coated with titanium dioxide, which is photocatalytic , meaning that it has a chemical reaction to light. When sunlight hits the glass, that reaction breaks down organic material on the window into smaller and smaller particles. The coating is also hydrophilic , meaning that rainwater won’t form droplets on the glass—it forms an even sheet that flows down the window, taking dirt away with it. (If it doesn’t rain often enough, you have to hose down the window.)
    PRODUCT: The “CWS Best CleanSeat” self-cleaning toilet seat
    BACKGROUND: Designed for