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| LIFE IN SOLERA | OCTOBER 2024 | 11 Thi & Tha By the Solera Ghostwriter Why are piggy banks shaped like a piggy? Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense, orange clay called "pygg." When housewives began saving coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as "pygg banks." In the 19th century, an English potter misunderstood the meaning of the old "pygg" and took it to mean pig. So, when someone asked him to make a pygg bank, he made one shaped like a pig. The idea caught on, and soon everyone wanted a "piggy" bank. Why are piano keys black & white? The white keys are the result of a decision made long ago to cover the regular keys on the piano with ivory. Ivory was chosen because of its beauty, its durability, and its high susceptibility to polish. When it came to constructing the remaining keys — the sharps and the flats — were decided should be made from a substance very close to ivory in feel and appearance and as visually distinguishable from the white keys as possible. It was found that these requirements could be met by ebony wood. It is hard, heavy, very durable, easily polished, and as black as pitch. Ebony, therefore, became the choice for the sharp and flat keys. Don't believe everything too quickly … "Take it with a grain of salt!" Salt has long been believed to possess great purifying powers, and Pompey is said to have made it a practice to add a grain of salt to any drink suspected of containing poison. From this may have come the idea that one should accept certain suspicious offerings "with a grain of salt," that is, with a measure of caution. What is that little bit of green on your favorite potato chip? The green substance is chlorophyll that was produced when a part of the potato grew above ground and was exposed to sunlight. This exposure also causes the production of another substance called solanine, which can be toxic. Roger That! In Morse code, the letter R was used to indicate "understood," and when voice communication became popular, R kept this meaning, in voice systems words — such as Able, Baker, Charlie — were assigned to letters to lessen the chance of misunderstanding, and Roger was the word assigned to the letter R. Therefore, "Roger" came to mean "I understand."