Big Wigs, Mad Hatters and Sons of a Gun

I saw that a question on TV's Jeopardy was about  “Big Wigs.”  The term has come to mean a very important person. The origin is quite literal. In the 18th century, wigs for women and men were common. The important figures within the political system would wear the biggest wigs.

You might have heard the expression that someone is “As Mad as a Hatter” meaning they are crazy or insane. I first encountered it in Alice in Wonderland.

The origin also goes back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Hatters - those who made hats - made felt hats using mercury. That led to all kinds of side effects, including literal insanity. The Mad Hatter, from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, is based on this phenomenon.

It is not a bad thing to call someone a "son of a gun" as it is a term of endearment. The origin I found goes back to when sailors took their wives to sea on long voyages. Inevitably, some of the women became pregnant. It was believed that the safest place to give birth was deemed to be between the guns/cannons. I couldn't find why that was the place, but therefore, a child born on the gun deck was known as a "son of a gun."

Another variation I found is that when in port, wives - and prostitutes - were allowed on board. In the morning, the Bosun's mates would yell "show a leg" as they came to the gun deck, where the sailors hung their hammocks. A female leg meant not to upend the hammock to get the sailor to work. That origin story also said that if a baby was born onboard, especially if the father wasn't known for sure, then the babe was a son of a gun.

Perhaps related is that the term "gundecking" is still used to mean really screwing up or doing the job wrong.