Merry Andrew wrote:barrythemod wrote:Hundreds of years ago,drinkers in the bustling London ale houses were served their drinks in ceramic cups that had whistles baked into the handles.The customers would blow these to order a refill,hence the expression "wet your whistle".
I doubt that very much.
Info obtained from a Fullers Brewery table card advertising London Pride,a popular beer of theirs.
It also states......"The oldest recorded recipes for beer date back to the Sumerians,some 5000 years ago,but archaeological evidence from Africa and China suggest that forms of brewing existed long before this.Making beer is believed to be as old as making bread,although no-one is quite sure which came first.
Ale was an important drink in medieval times and the fermentation process was considered almost supernatural.The word ale derives from the Old English 'ealu',which has connotations of sorcery,magic,possession and intoxication"
P.S. Would I lie to you
.For back-up see
HERE.It also gives another meaning of "rule of thumb".
