Odd factoids

[bruce1530]

As a kid, I always wondered why they seemed to say "juice".

Now you know....

Tennis bats are sometimes known as "rackets" because of the unpleasant noise they make.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Now you know....

Tennis bats are sometimes known as "rackets" because of the unpleasant noise they make.

In fact, it is considered good etiquette and desirable to be as noisy as possible, hence all the stupid groaning, grunting, whooping and other noises from the... Ball Boys...

 

[Drago]

In days of yore real bats were used to play tennis, their wings being an excellent surface for bouncing the ball back. This led to a shortage of bats which became a protected species as a consequence, so artificial bats were invented by Bernard Manning in 1961 to sidestep the problem.

 

[bruce1530]

To address the shortage of bats, a breeding programme was initiated, where bats were crossed with small jumping insects. However, the resulting "Cricket Bats" had little success at Wimbledon.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Tennis was invented by the Wombles and not long after they built some courts at Wimbledon.

 

[bruce1530]

Jonathan Sett-Point, the first Wimbledon tennis umpire, had legs which were 15ft long, but a normal sized body. In a tribute to his memory, all Umpire chairs at Wimbledon are still 15ft high, and the umpire must climb a little ladder to get on.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

His wife Penelope Juicer used to squeeze oranges 🍊 between her thighs to make drinks for the players.

 

[PeteXXX]

His wife Penelope Juicer used to squeeze oranges 🍊 between her thighs to make drinks for the players.

Hence her nickname, 'Pipsqueak'.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Penelope Juicer is the daughter of Mrs Robinson. Known for an affair with a young Dudley Moore, but before that, she formed a soft drinks company.

 

[PeteXXX]

Pipsqueak's daughter, once she reached 21, started practicing with tangerines before moving on to larger Citrus fruits.
She came unstuck (or more stuck, depending on your viewpoint) when she attempted a cantaloupe melon. It didn't end well.

 

[Drago]

In the ancient Mayan civilisation bras were worn by men as a means of transporting their traditional two lunchtime melons to work, hence the modern vernacular for ladies bosoms.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

The Aztecs solved the melon problem by having them for breakfast

 

[Drago]

The band Aztec Camera were inaccurately named. The archaeological find which inspired their moniker was later determined to be a sex toy. The name change to Aztec Dildo destroyed their career.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

There was then a re-inventing themselves episode under the new name Dido

 

[Drago]

Dado rails were originally invented upon which to hang dead dodos.