FYI - Some Sayings

and the rabbit hole they sent me down

1. "Close but no cigar."

   1. This saying originated in 19th century (1801 - 1899) American fairs and carnivals because a cigar was often the top prize. It didn't appear in print until the 1920's. It first appeared as the headline of a May 18th, 1929 article in the Long Island Daily Press.

2. "Mad as a Hatter."

   1. Likely from the hat-making jobs in the 18th & 19th centuries (1701 - 1899) due to the makers' long-term mercury exposure which damages the nervous system.

The mad Hatter thing really grabbed my attention today. So, mercury was used in the production of felt, which was commonly used in hat-making. Interestingly, felt from wool is one of the oldest known textiles! In this case, the felt was treated using a process called "Carroting".

Carroting was invented in the mid-17th century (~1650) and used until the mid-20th century (1950). It's a process where good quality felt is made by taking animal skins, treating them with mercuric nitrate, and then dried in an oven. This caused the thin fur at the edges to turn orange; hence the name! But unfortunately, both handling the mercury solution and the toxins put in the air by it caused a lot of mercury poisoning.

John_Tenniel_-_Illustration_from_The_Nursery_Alice_(1890)