Show F u axi I 1 a the th e name Is 15 familiar fa BY nm FELIX F ELI X B and E ELMO lm SCOTT WATSON grog PEOPLE say a man likes his grog today but when the word first came into use early in the eighteenth century it was because those who drank it like it heres why admiral edward vernon of the british navy was called old grog because at sea he always wore a cape of cloth called grogram water resistant material rs of either mohair or wool mixed with silk the seamen under his command were served a halt half pint ot of rum or brandy each noon don and drank au ll 11 ot of it at once probably so no one ae else would get it to prevent their beir stomachs O from receiving admiral Adin iral vernon too hearty a jolt the admiral ordered the daily allow 1 ance diluted with a quart of water and six hours of time serving it in two installments one at 11 in the morning and the other at four in the afternoon although Alt hougla the stomachs may have appreciated this change the sailors and they referred contemptuously to their daily ration of liquor as grog after old grog who had ordered it so widely was the term used that inns became known as grog shops in england and still are this british admiral had something else more familiar to americans named after him among his many friends and admirers in the american can colonies was lawrence washington who gave his estate on the banks of the potomac in virginia the name of mt vernon when he died mt vernon became the property of his half brother george washington london bobby IN N AMERICA a policeman may be a cop or a bull but in london hes a to bobby obby and hes that because in 1829 sir robert peel home secretary in the duke of wel ling tons cabinet created the london metropolitan police force at first these officers of the law were referred to by londoners Lon doners as sir roberts men then as peels popularity increased and he was known by the affectionate diminutive of bobby they began calling his policemen bob bys men from that it was only a step to referring to 0 o them anem as bobbies and bobbies they are to this day nor is this the robert peel only common word in which the tame fame of this briton who twice served as prime minister 1834 35 and 1841 46 has been perpetuated while serving as secretary for ireland in lord liver pools cabinet sir robert established the irish constabulary nat aurally they especially popular with the fightlin figh tin irish who re berred to them as peelers feelers pe elers ie sir robert peels men that word crossed the atlantic with irish emigrants to america and since so many m a ny of that race became policemen in our cities find some old fashioned folk who still call policemen peelers feelers pe elers rather than cops or bulls released by western newspaper union |