Questions for you

Q. Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?
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A. When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. 
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Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. 
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Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right! 
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And that's where women's buttons have remained since.
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Q. Why do ships and aircraft use 'mayday' as their call for help?
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A. This comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning 'help me' - and is pronounced approximately, 'mayday.'
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Q. Why are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?
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A. In France , where tennis became popular, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is French for 'egg.' 
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When tennis was introduced in the US , Americans (mis)pronounced it 'love.'
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Q. Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?
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A. In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. 
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Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. 
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The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.
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Q. Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called 'passing the buck'?
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A. In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. 
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If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would 'pass the buck' to the next player.
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Q. Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
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A. It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. 
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To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. 
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Both men would drink it simultaneously. 
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When a guest trusted his host, he would only touch or clink the host's glass with his own.
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Q. Why are people in the public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?
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A. Invented in 1825,limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a performer 'in the limelight' was the center of attention.
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Q. Why is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?
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A. Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud 
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If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.
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Q. In golf, where did the term 'Caddie' come from?
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A. When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scots game 'golf.' 
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So he had the first course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. 
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To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her.
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Mary liked this a lot and when returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. 
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In French, the word cadet is pronounced 'ca-day' and the Scots changed it into 'caddie.
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Q. Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?
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A. Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called 'pygg'. 
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When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as 'pygg banks.' 

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When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig. 
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And it caught on.
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Q. Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches (milling), while pennies and nickels do not?
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A. The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. 
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Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. 
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Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.