Shyheels

G-rated

I wonder. I did a lot of fencing in my younger days, as well as badminton, distance running and cycling - which I still do a great deal of - and my ankles and feet are strong enough and flexible enough for me, a rank beginner, to walk in 4" heels with no problems at all. I actually found myself wondering why it was supposed to be tricky. That flexibility test that Duannega mentioned, I can do with ease. I wonder if the case may be the opposite of what you suggest: maybe fewer people, of both sexes, doing sports. A lack of foot, ankle strength and flexibility.

I totally agree with Histiletto, and there are definitely some genetics at play. I have been comfortable wearing heels forever and the first time I stood up in a pair of 4" heels I could walk in them comfortably, and for me wearing 5" heels for a day is also not a problem. That being said 4" heels are definitely the more practical and comfortable choice for me. I think a lot of that ability has to do with the suppleness of your ankle and if you can bend your foot down so the line down from your shin is straight to your toe area, you should be able to wear 5" heels, if not you will be more comfy in 4" and lower. There are not a lot of people who can wear 5" + heels comfortably as one needs to be able to bend your foot even further down so your ankle start looking like a lump, and very few girls can do that. Generally women are more supple in their joints than men, so I think there will even be fewer men able to do that. But no matter what heel height you are comfortable in, enjoy it and don't worry about it if you are not comfy in those 5" heels, most women who wears heels every day are are also only comfy in 4" heels too…..

That's interesting. Having read your post I tried seeing how far I can bend my foot and find I can easily get the line of my foot to run straight down my shin, and even a bit farther. I know I can easily walk in 4" heels - only ones I have ever worn, being new at this. Maybe I should try a pair of 5" sometime, just to see.

Free

Rethink

Commonwealth

Munich

Appeasement

There are quite a few stretches you can do for ankle and foot flexibility. One stretch for toes is to interlace your fingers between your toes and gently stretch them back. Another is to kneel with your toes on the floor and sit back on your heels. This stretches both your toes and the undersides if your feet.

I've probably not described either stretch adequately, but I am writing on an iPad and so not inclined to write much...

Bread

If your going to take a swipe at the ' Rednecks ' at least get it right. Its Tabackie, damn limey!

If your going to take a swipe at the ' Rednecks ' at least get it right. Its Tabackie, damn limey!

There are many different accents throughout the south and Appalachia

I think I've got that too.  I went a few years back to see the film (US movie) Deja Vu, but I had the feeling I'd seen it before.

Perhaps you were seeing the sequel - or prequel...

Damn honorary limey   And we're most pleased to have him.

Thank you! And I am most pleased to be here!

Cut

Determination

Rugged

Philosophy

Taken

Handmaid

Oh I don't know. Maybe some redneck good ole boy with a chaw of tobacco in his gob... :-)

Mingle

They came up with KKK...:-)

(OK, maybe strictly speaking an initialism rather than an acronym, but I can never resist a glib response where there is even a ghost of one in the offing! :-))

Brace

I love language and etymology.

I had never before heard of Wog being an acronym for Western Oriental Gentleman. As you say, it is utterly illogical.

I also never heard of Prisoner of Mother England. That too seems wildly unlikely, and for exactly the reasons you list. Prisoner of His (or Her) Majesty has some logic as this was apparently used, in abbreviation, beside the names if prisoners on ship manifests. I can't vouch for its authenticity as I never took the trouble to investigate it, but I could at least imagine such a thing.

Rooster

Card

James Lind in 1753 was the first to prove citrus fruits could be used to treat scurvy, although the idea had been around anecdotally for some centuries before that. He offered some formal experimental proof, although of course, he did not know of vitamin C - that was not discovered until 1932. James Cook in the 1770s had wonderful success at sea in warding off scurvy. He attributed his success to adding sauerkraut to his men's diet. Sauerkraut has some vitamin C but not much. It was largely destroyed by the cooking process.

It was his insistence on shipboard cleanliness and regular restocking with fresh food at every opportunity that played the larger role, as well as his refusal to allow his men to eat the fat scrubbed off the bottom of the copper pans. Although Cook couldn't have known it, that fact reacted with the copper to form compounds that inhibited the body's ability to absorb vitamin C. It helped too that he was going places where there was lots of citrus around.

Although the curative effects of citrus were proved by Lind in 1753 it was many decades, well into the 19th century, before lime juice became a regular feature of life aboard a Royal Navy warship.

Pommie has many origins. As you say the origin of slang is extremely difficult to trace. But that's part of the fun!