Midweek trivia.

Having delved into the supposed origin of "hard-nosed" (yesterday), I got curious and wanted to find out more about other familiar terms and phrases. Still on noses, how do you think "to pay through the nose" came about?

Here's one explanation:

PAY THROUGH THE NOSE Meaning: To pay a high price; to pay dearly. Origin: Comes from the ninth-century Ireland. When the Danes conquered the Irish, they imposed an exorbitant Nose Tax on the island's inhabitants. They took a census (by counting noses) and levied oppressive sums on their victims, forcing them to pay by threatening to have their noses actually slit. Paying the tax was "paying through the nose."

How about "hooker" or "to pull the wool over someone's eyes"? I found these and many others in this link:

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/08/07/origins-of-familiar-phrases/#!jEaWG

But caveat emptor! A number of the readers' comments insist that not a few of the explanations given were simply made up. So lap them up, but with a pinch of salt, the origin of which is explained here:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/take-with-a-grain-of-salt.html

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Next up... first read this article carefully:

If you want to test yourself on how good a proof-reader you are, try and spot the extraneous word that should not have been there! Clues: it is a five-letter word, it is found in a quoted remark, and its inclusion totally changed the meaning the speaker had intended. Sorry, no answer shall be given. ____________________________________________________________

Finally, and still on trivia, I can't believe this ad... it really insults readers' intelligence: