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June 21st, 2010:
Bed Bug – Flatlands, New Amersfort – Brooklyn
© Frank H. Jump
I’m assuming this is an ad to get rid of bed bugs and not to sell a single bed bug.
Wikipedia
- Bed bug – Wikipedia
Good night, Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.
Origin of this phrase according to The Straight Dope:
There are two possible explanations for this expression. We’ll start with the one I personally like, because it’s a lot more interesting, and then we’ll get to what in all probability is the real one.
Explanation #1. Here in Cajun country where I live, before the days of mattresses, beds were square frames elevated from the ground, with ropes tied across in a sort of weave. It was similar to a hammock in concept. Anyway, in order to sleep well, the “mattress” couldn’t sag, so the bed had to be “tight.” (And free of bed bugs, but I thought that went without saying.)
For further insight I spoke to Dr. Jerry Lee Cross, a historian with the state of North Carolina. He confirms that the beds were, in fact, made of ropes tied across a frame. He adds that the origin of the phrase “sleep tight” is almost common knowledge among historians, simply because the modern bed is a little over a hundred years old.
But first a little about bedbugs. The 1996 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, under “bedbug,” shows a critter not unlike a flea. Known to others as Cimex lectularius, this beast is a blood-sucker (literally). It is further described as nocturnal and capable of consuming its body weight in blood in five minutes. This one meal can provide nourishment for the insect for six months! This flat, oval, wingless bug measures about 0.6 cm long and produces irritating bites but is not known to carry disease. How comforting. — Hawk
