Do you ever use an expression you wonder how it originated? Recently I used "God Bless his cotton socks." Gregg asked where did that come from and I answered that I wasn't sure but I had used it my whole life, and had heard it from my family. These questions usually arise when a certain expression hasn't been used in years, and it suddenly pops in my head. I went on a search and this is what I came up with. I found the following information here.
"George Edward Lynch Cotton became Bishop of Calcutta in 1858, and while there established schools for Eurasian children. A man of great sensitivity, he ordered crates full of sock for the children, to be worn during lessons. It was the rule of the Bishop to bless all goods which arrived at the schools. A zealous member of staff one day distributed socks before the blessing, so thereafter every time a shipment arrived, a note was placed on them to the effect: 'Cotton's socks for blessing'. Cotton's socks soon became corrupted to cotton socks. When the Bishop was drowned in the Ganges on October 6th, 1866, a dispatch was sent to the Archbishop to ask: 'Who will bless his cotton socks?'
(Mrs.) Jane M. Glossop, Pwllheli, Gwynedd."
And now I know!
With many thanks to our hosts of the following memes, which I am joining in with today.
Betty at Wednesday Around The World
