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- Answers to Mill Trivia (don't peek)
Answers to Mill Trivia (don't peek)
to suddenly stop or cease progress, often in a dramatic or unexpected way
Answer: GRIND TO A HALT - If the millstones ground too close while the wind or water power was dying, the mill would ‘come to a grinding halt’.
to work very hard and continuously on a task or project
Answer: KEEP YOUR NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE - If set incorrectly, millstones could grind too hot and the flour would become cooked, emitting a burning smell. Occasionally, flour would burst into flames. The miller kept his “nose to the grindstone” to detect the temperature and condition of the meal - and because most mills are made of wood, they could (and frequently did) burn to the ground in a matter of minutes.
the monotonous tasks of work
Answer: THE DAILY GRIND - The repetitive nature of milling led to the concept of ‘the daily (same old) grind’
average, not special or exciting in any way
Answer: FAIR TO MIDDLING - The quality of ground meal would be fair, middling, or fine. To be ‘fair to middling’ is to be below one’s best. An equally acceptable answer is RUN OF THE MILL
to demonstrate your abilities and resilience in a challenging situation
Answer: SHOW YOUR METTLE - Millstones often needed to be dressed (re-carved). When a miller hired an itinerant dresser, he could tell whether the man was experienced by noting the slivers of metal (thrown off from his carving tools) embedded in his hands. Variant of ‘show your mettle’ Picture from https://www.deeprootsmilling.com/mill-race-marke