What sudden anger is this? How have I reap'd it?" (Henry VIII)

Yesterday, we went to the Boynton Mall and I took my scooter for a good long ride in and out of stores and intimate apparel and petite departments. It's probably a blessing that I don't get turned on that easily anymore. Saves me a lot of energy which to me is in short supply. At any rate, the battery seemed to be kind of low--not mine, the scooter's--and so we dragged it upstairs to recharge it--except that the instructions were in Chinese English. You would think they'd hire someone who could write decent English with all the money they're making exporting everything you can think of to us, including perhaps, toilet paper. It's their trees, not ours. So right now the thing is plugged in, and the LED is supposed to turn from yellow to green when it's fully charged, so we'll keep on eye on it. Hopefully yellow and green mean the same thing to the Chinese as it does to us.

Besides the battery problem today, I made the awful mistake of taking my nighttime pills in the morning. One of them is a sleeping pill. When and if Rhoda finds out she'll throw a "hissy fit" so if you consider yourself my friend, you'll keep it "under your hat." (OK. Now I'm in more trouble. Just used two more idioms that require explanation. Well, maybe not so much explanation as much as to their origins...some people are curious and thirst for knowledge...cf.last blog.) First of all, a "hissy fit" is defined as a temperamental outburst; a tantrum. The allusion in this expression may be to the hissing and sputtering of such an outburst, or it may simply be a contraction of 'hysterical'. The term originated in the USA in the mid 20th century and is first recorded in a 1934 edition of American Speech:
'Hissy fit' was little used outside of the USA until the late 20th century. More recently, it has gained currency elsewhere, primarily due to its use in the media when describing the antics of various high-profile celebrity divas. For example, in September 2004, The Daily Mirror reported Sir Elton John's arrival at Taipei airport:

"Sir Elton, who arrived by private jet for the final concert of a Far East tour, clenched his teeth in fury when he saw a crowd waiting for him at the airport. Exploding in an extraordinary hissy fit, the 57-year-old star raved: 'You're all rude, vile pigs!'" (cf. phrases.org/u.k)

Then "keep it under your hat" obviously means to keep something a secret. On first hearing this it seems to be a rather strange phrase. Students trying to learn English would have a hard time with that one. Why should people put anything under their hats and, even if they were to, why would that be associated with secrecy? The speculation is that putting an item under one's hat would be a way of hiding it. Such trickery is recorded, as in the collection of stories, published as The Adventurer, 1793:

"By a sudden stroke of conjuration, a great quantity of gold might be conveyed under his hat." (cf.phrases.org./u.k) But I don't buy this (! can't seem to avoid these darn things!) Gold on top of the head would seem to provoke a giant headache requiring several Advils. More likely, I believe, the hat is a symbol for one's head. That's where secrets usually lie in wait to rush out...like sperm cells.