The bride’s bodyguards
QUESTION What was the origin and purpose of bridesmaids?
The presence of bridesmaids at weddings dates back to ancient Rome.
The practice is related to that of the wearing of a veil. A bride may have been required to travel many miles to her groom’s town, making her susceptible to attack by bandits or rival suitors.
This was coupled with the ancient belief that evil spirits may cast a spell on the bride, bringing ill fortune to their marriage. Thus the bride adopted the veil to disguise herself, and the spirits would further be confused by her entourage of bridesmaids, maidens of the same age and dress.
While some of the spiritual associations may have faded, this custom persisted well into the Victorian era.
When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, her 12 bridesmaids wore matching white dresses to complement the Queen’s satin gown.
Victoria and her entourage made such a strong impression that white dresses swiftly replaced the old tradition of nobility wearing silver on their wedding days. Louise Collins, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks.
QUESTION What is the origin of the phrase ‘time is of the essence’?
Time is of the essence is a piece of legalese that has entered the vernacular to imply that time is in short supply or it is of the utmost importance.
in law it is explicit; it is a phrase in a contract that means it is ‘essential’ that the actions provided for in the document be completed by the date given.
Failure to act within the time required constitutes a breach of contract. The term dates from at least the mid-19th century.
Jeremy Tanner, Tipton, Staffs.
QUESTION I’d like to create a music playlist with songs about artists. Vincent by Don McLean is an obvious example. Any other suggestions?
FURTHER to previous answers, there is a very funny London comedienne called harriet Braine whose act is called Total eclipse Of The Art.
She converts eighties pop tunes into songs about classical artists. her monet monet monet (Abba) is particularly funny, as is Pablo Pablo Picasso to the tune of Abracadabra (Steve miller Band), matisse to the tune of Jolene (Dolly Parton), and Cezanne’s marital troubles are explored to the tune of Roxanne by the Police. Phil Jones, Linford, Essex.
QUESTION Why are certain powerful artillery weapons called recoilless rifles when they are not rifles at all?
RIFLING refers to the helical grooves engraved on the interior surface of gun barrels which impart spin on the projectile and give greater accuracy.
Accordingly, any weapon that has a rifled barrel can, correctly, be referred to as a rifle, regardless of size. in everyday use the term has come to mean a shoulder-fired weapon carried by a soldier.
The earliest practical rifles were to be found in the American state of Kentucky in the 18th century, where they were used by hunters. Their first military application was during the American War of independence, when george Washington authorised the formation of ten companies of riflemen.
it is likely that Lieutenant-general Sir John moore, father of the British Light infantry, saw these weapons in use when he was a lieutenant serving in America and adopted them for use in his new units. The ones first used by the British were the Baker rifle, produced from 1800 in Whitechapel, London.
Rifling didn’t feature heavily in artillery until the 1850s, when Armstrong Whitworth breech-loading guns started to be introduced into the Royal navy.
The recoilless rifle is a rifled artillery weapon which ejects some of its propellant gas rearwards, reducing the amount of recoil produced by the weapon and allowing it to be mounted on lightweight carriages or vehicles. The redirection of the propellant gases reduces the range of the weapon. They are usually deployed with infantry units.
The L6 Wombat recoilless rifle used by the British Army and Royal marines has been in service since 1964. it has a calibre of 120mm, an effective range of 1,000m and is served by a crew of three.
Bob Dillon, Edinburgh.
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