Useless Facts

Why are bra sizes so strange – AA, DDD, FF?

• Originally bras were sized A, B, C, D and so on but the developers of the sizing system (probably men?) didn’t realise that breasts varied so much in size and shape so instead of changing the whole numbering system they just added an extra letters to the inbetween sizes.

Why do things button one way for women and another for men?

• Men used to dress themselves and were usually right handed but women were usually dressed by a right handed dresser which meant it was easier for the buttons to be on the other side.

Why do jackets have buttons on the sleeves?

• During wartime, soldiers used to use their sleeves to wipe their noses, and remove blood and sweat from their faces. To prevent them from doing this, buttons were placed on the sleeves and this custom continued

Where does the word ‘quiz’ come from?

• A Dublin man took part in a pub bet and said that he would have a new word in the English language by morning. That night he wrote the word quiz on many many walls around the city. The next morning people were wondering what it meant and so it became a word denoting puzzling questions.

Why are mobile phones called cell phones in some countries?

• They are connected through a cellular network consisting of switching points and base stations in the form of cellular towers or cellular antennae. In these countries a mobile phone means one that can be used while you are walking around – like a cordless phone for example.

Where does the word limey come from?

• The word ‘Limey’ originates from sailors and life at sea in the 17th and 18h century. There was no access to fresh fruits and vegetables on long voyages so the sailors often suffered from scurvy caused by lack of vitamin C. The Royal Navy got around this by adding lime juice to barrels of water. Voila – the word limey was born.