There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a
real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up
your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the
top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence
the saying, Dirt poor.
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when
wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As
the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door
, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the
entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.
