Time for a fun fact...

Question

Answer 1

Yes I knew it, SFA...from the voracious reading of my childhood, maybe 65 years ago now, yup maybe around age ten I was fascinated by that fact. But now, we don't even get close enough for elbow bumps any more, from concern over the virus in the hand of my enemy!

Comments

I guess the fun fact must have something to do with handshaking...?

Answer 2

What is the fun fact? The image doesn't show for me.

Comments

Hi Tink, I can see the image, and here is the caption on a bas-relief of two ancient Greeks or Romans shaking hands...

"Handshakes were originally meant to make sure the person you were meeting wasn't carrying a concealed weapon. The handclasp proved that your hand was empty and the shaking motion was meant to dislodge any weapons hiding up the sleeve." 

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I heard about the no-weapons-in-the-hand part (beware of lefties, however), but not the sleeve-hidden part. 

However, there is Biblical attestation to beware of lefties... Judges 3:14-22

¹⁴ So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

¹⁶ But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

¹⁷ And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.

¹⁸ And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.

¹⁹ But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

²⁰ And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

²¹ And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:

²² And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

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Tink that is SO intriguing, I read it three times, Judges is one of the books I have read very little and it's nice to savour your sample.

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There are some good stories in Judges, e.g.,, Samson and Delilah, and Jephthah and his daughter.

edit: ugh, it says video unavailable... if that happens to you, just copy and paste

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8MtVjSGRmY

into your browser, and you can get to it, although you might have to skip an ad first.

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No, Peter Paul and Mary song worked fine for me -- prolly has to do with the fact that Long Island and Washington State are actually different countries, you know... 

I did not realize Samson & Delilah were in Judges, and will want to look up the story of Jephthah and daughter!

Oh this is interesting...now the bas-relief originally posted by SFA has collapsed into a ? mark, but I can still see it where he posted it below in an answer!

Answer 3

It is interesting.

Answer 4

I can’t see what I posted either!

Answer 5

............

Comments

Hope everyone can see this..

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But the guy on the right doesn't have any sleeves... in fact, he looks (gasp) nekked! 

And what's that in his left hand...? A big club?

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I can see it SFA, but now the copy in your original question has collapsed into a little blue box with "?".

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I can’t see anything there at all from my original post.