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 Phrase Craze!                                                              
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 * Gum up the works:  to cause a slow down or stop in a project, through    
   one's actions.  The phrase comes to us from the lumbermen.  Men coming   
   to this country were amazed when they discovered such a large variety of 
   trees on the land.  From Connecticut to Missouri and from Florida to     
   to Mexico, grew a tree that was a sweet gum tree with a red gum.  It was 
   pleasing to the lumbermen because of the pleasing fragrance.  Boys and   
   men alike went on gumming expeditions and often times ended up with the  
   gum in their hair and on their clothing.  Back in that time it was almost
   impossible to get the gum out of the clothing and hair.  The term gum    
   up the works came about as a result.                                     
 * Rub the wrong way:  to cause a person to become upset as the result of   
   a thoughtless statement.  Believe it or not this statement comes to us   
   from the Colonial era when wealthy ladies took so much pride in their    
   wide-broad oak floors.  Once a week the servants were to wet rub then    
   dry rub the surface of the floors.  If a servant failed to rub with the  
   grain of the wood, streaks would appear and the phrase rub the wrong way 
   came about as a result.                                                  
 * Booze: drink.  The word comes from the name of E.G. Booze.  He was a mer-
   chant who sold moonshine without a name brand.  His customers dubbed it  
   Booze since they didn't know who made it for sure.                       


