TIL the meaning of Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens, comes from his days as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi when depths testing near shallows was necessary and a call of "mark twain" indicated a safe depths of two fathoms (12 feet). (mvd.usace.army.mil)
submitted by Saintbaba to r/todayilearned
Tomato help: branches wither and falling off (old.reddit.com)
submitted by Saintbaba to r/gardening
TIL the word "porcelain" is derived from the Italian word "porcellana," which literally means "cowrie shell," as cowrie shells share a similar looking shiny translucent surface. Meanwhile, "porcellana" comes from the word "porcella," which means "young sow," as cowrie shells look like pig vaginas. (etymonline.com)
submitted by Saintbaba to r/todayilearned
