Making a mark
Tattooing has long been used as for magical, religious or decorative purposes. The tattoo's permanency lends it seriousness and social significance. Tattoos have been found on Egyptian and Nubian mummies dating from about 2000 BC, but the actual word is of Polynesian origin - tattow. The word was first added to the English language when James Cook recorded his visit to Tahiti in 1769.
The Samurai
The Samurai were the members of the military class in Japan. Their importance and influence grew during the Heian Period (794-1185) when wealthy landowners hired them for the protection of their properties. They could chop up peasants willy-nilly.
In the cards
The word yakuza means 8-9-3 with Ya meaning 8, ku 9, and za 3. It comes from Japans counterpart to Black Jack, Oicho-Kabu. Here, the reference is to the tribe. In 1612 the word was adopted to describe a gang of longsword carrying thugs known for their distinctive haircuts, loyalty and the fact they liked stabbing for pleasure. They also covered themselves in tattoos and cut off a finger to prove loyalty.
Take Hart
Jude's exclamation, 'I'm a nurse, not Tony Bloody Hart' refers to the seemingly permanently
middle-aged presenter of such shows as Vision On, Take Hart and Hart Beat. Tony showed us
how to make great and not so great works of art using things found around us. For the Vision
On, Take Hart and Vision On title sequences visit our I Love TV section.
Hairy beasty
In folklore the werewolf is an animal who can change from a wolf and back again (often on the sight of a full moon) and devours human flesh - wer being an Old English term for man. While there are no documented cases of actual werewolves, there are cases of people who believed they were one. This delusion is called lycanthropy.
Rule Britannia
Jude's comment 'Oh brilliant. I can't even get out of the Britannia Music Club' refers to a club which offers CD and cassettes to member's at reduced prices. When you sign up you used to have to agree to buy a certain number of titles over a certain period of time.
Hue and cry
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and fable says that the phrase hue and cry was first used in English law to describe a body of persons joining in pursuit of a felon or suspected thief. (French, hu�c, verb huer, to hoot or shout after; Anglo-Saxon, hui, ho!)
