Surfing the Net, I came upon this resource, IdiomSite, that provides background information on several common catchphrases, including the one above: In polite company, people who lost control of their tongues would apparently try to pass it off as French! It's doubtful if swearing Frenchmen would go "Pardon mon anglais".

My query answered, I started checking out the others. What's particularly nice about this site is the brevity of its descriptions. Most are limited to just a sentence or two, and in simple terms explain the meaning of the idiom and its origin.

You want to know why a 'Baker's Dozen' has 13 pieces instead of 12? The site says, 'In the Middle Ages in England there were severe penalties for anyone who gave short weight.' So to be on the safe side, bakers generally included an extra loaf in a dozen.

But IdiomSite isn't restricted to phrases that date so far back: 'Bad hair day' (a day when everything that can go wrong, goes wrong) comes from the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

People often say, "It's a Catch-22 situation". Now we know this has something to do with Joseph Heller's novel by that name. But we don't know what the phrase implies, because Catch-22 is a classic, which obviously means it's a book we all want to have read, but don't really want to read, right? Well, don't read it then! You can still get the meaning here, without going through all 463 pages of Heller's book.

Also find out about the announcement 'Elvis has left the building' and why 'Balls to the wall' has nothing to do with male anatomy!

Wacky Uses

When not in your teacup, Lipton tea bags can be used to deodorise your feet. Or so claims Wacky Uses, a site that lists a number of things you can do with branded items… though their manufacturers may not always approve. According to the site, tea bags can also tenderise meat, dye greying fabrics and add golden highlights to dark hair (Conversely, I'd never use L'Oreal to make tea!).

Not all uses are wacky. Those that aren't funny are useful and can be adopted. So while they suggest sewing a tennis ball in the back pocket of your pajama top to prevent you from sleeping on your back (ouch), it can also be used to make parking cars easier: 'Hang a Wilson Tennis Ball on a string from the garage ceiling so it will hit the windshield at the spot where you should stop your car.'

Discover how Vaseline can avert car battery corrosion, hide scratches in wooden furniture, shine shoes, and for those particularly sticky moments, remove chewing gum from your hair. Also find out where you can apply Colgate toothpaste, other than on your teeth. (http://www.wackyuses.com/heinz.html) Vinegar, the site says, is good for dissolving warts, removing stains, curing an upset stomach and relieving cold, cough and arthritis.

And what's their #1 recommendation for Coca Cola?

'Clean a toilet bowl!'

LifeGem

We've heard of birthstones - gems that represent the month you were born in. But what's a LifeGem? 'A certified, high quality diamond created from the carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique and wonderful life,' states this site, matter-of-factly.

Huh? Do they actually expect us to wear ornaments made from the ashes of deceased relatives? Yes. They market them as 'a way to embrace your loved one's memory day by day'.

LifeGem claims to have discovered a way to capture the carbon that's generally lost during cremation. Heat and pressure is then applied to transform this carbon into diamonds. These come in varying shades of blue, red and yellow and are set into rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings and customised pieces.

The FAQ section states that about 100 high-quality diamonds can be created from each individual. Don't expect them cheap though; the guys at LifeGem charge around Rs 1,91,828 for their cheapest offering.

Rock Paper Scissors

Remember that game Rock Paper Scissors kids use to settle disputes? It's apparently much more popular than that… there are even professional RPS circuits. And an organisation called the World RPS Society has a Web site to promote the game.

Newcomers can acquaint themselves with the basics, then move on to advanced RPS for winning tips like 'hold back a throw of paper until the last possible moment to dupe an opponent into believing that you may actually be throwing a rock.' Prepare further by studying tried and tested opening gambits.

Finally, hit the 'Let's Rock!' button to play against a devious online trainer that uses artificial intelligence and a 'hybrid of the playing styles of several retired Grand Masters'.

Also Read: -- Dissect frogs online, send photo-ecards -- Dig deeper into Murphy's Laws -- Read a Harry Potter spoof -- Global travel and bald tales -- Why Shakespeare's better than Britney -- Get online for Friendship Day

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