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Stories behind the sayings

Ever wondered what the term son of a gun8217; really meant? To find out more about the origins of the old english sayings and proverbs, visit a site at rootsweb.com. One of its sections deals with the etymology of popular phrases.

For instance, it explains why a prison is called a clink. A well known prison was located on Clink Street in the Southwark area of London. Similarly, the phrase getting bombed8217; originates from the word bombard, a leather jug which could hold eight pints. So anybody who consumed an entire bombard would get drunk.