Polly want a cracker?
Sometimes, trying to find the origin and reasoning behind very common language or common etiquette can be surprisingly difficult. I've search the Web to no avail, so maybe one of you guys might know?
Here goes: where do you think the phrase "Polly wants a cracker" comes from?
In the hunt, however, I dug up a history of common phrases, and a story about how young Polly Nomial (our heroine) is accosted by that notorious villain Curly Pi, and factored (oh horror!!!)
[Warning: high level maths].