# Old Wives Tales **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2008, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200 "2008-12-30T11:25:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/61 "2008-12-31T17:16:09Z")
On New Years day you must open the back door before you open the front. This to let all bad stuff out and let good stuff in ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/62 "2008-12-31T17:32:13Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > On New Years day you must open the back door before you open the front. > > This to let all bad stuff out and let good stuff in Wah! I live in an apartment. Can I just shoo all of the bad stuff out the front door? How’s the new granddaughter? ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/63 "2008-12-31T19:07:58Z")
> [@ShelliBean](#): > > Heartburn = dark hair/lots of hair on the baby. This is my current favorite. My infant son has a ton of dark hair. People ask me ALL the time if I had heartburn. I love telling them no, because it’s not the answer they’re expecting. I didn’t get swollen ankles or weird cravings, either. We adopted him. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/64 "2008-12-31T19:32:08Z")
Wait a second, now scientists are thinking the heartburn pregnancy=hairy newborn link might be true. [We propose a shared biologic mechanism involving a dual role of pregnancy hormones in both the relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter and the modulation of fetal hair growth.](http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118622129/abstract) I had zero morning sickness through my pregnancy, but killer wake-you-from-a-dead-sleep heartburn, and my son came out looking like Wolfman Jack, fwiw. Congratulations, **Stuff**! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/65 "2008-12-31T21:47:06Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Wah! I live in an apartment. Can I just shoo all of the bad stuff out the front door? > > How’s the new granddaughter? No, what you do is open a rear window first and then the front door. As to your 2nd question, you’re in a better position to answer that one, Granddad is doing fine and I’m off to my sons for lunch tomorrow 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Craneop2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Craneop2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Craneop2)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/66 "2008-12-31T22:23:23Z")
If someone borrows your pocket knife. Whomever opens it MUST be the one that closes it. Otherwise bloodshed will occur soon. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/67 "2008-12-31T22:27:58Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > On New Years day you must open the back door before you open the front. > > This to let all bad stuff out and let good stuff in If I come in past midnight and come in the back door, will that count? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/68 "2008-12-31T22:50:22Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Going out in the cold with wet hair will make you sick. _Germs_ make you sick! That, and going out in the cold in general without a coat or hat will give you a cold too. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/69 "2009-01-01T09:57:42Z")
For the UK at least the “red sky at night, shepherd’s delight ; red sky in the morning shepherd’s warning” is more o less true. This is because most of our weather comes from the west. To quote another website:- _When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow._ \*A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way. \* [http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html](http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html) Another related tale is “rain before seven, clear before eleven”. Also mainly true as most weather fronts take about four hours to cross a particular location. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/70 "2009-01-01T10:06:39Z")
Another old-wife’s tale (relevant to today!) is “do not do your laundry on New Year’s Day, as you will wash someone out of your family” ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/71 "2009-01-01T14:46:00Z")
> [@Rayne\_Man](#): > > Another old-wife’s tale (relevant to today!) is “do not do your laundry on New Year’s Day, as you will wash someone out of your family” That gives me a good excuse for ignoring mine again today. Then again, can we pick the person to wash out? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200.md?page=3)