Powder Dry

[pat2936]

Whe did the saying from the 40's "Keep You Powder Dry" originate, and what does it mean?

[SeaJayPea]

Surely it's from well before then, and relates to either cannon or flintlock pistols, both of which used gunpowder. If your (gun)powder was damp, it wouldn't fire, with possibly disastrous consequences!

[pat2936]

Thank you, that makes a lot of sense. I referred to the 40's because I remeber hearing people say it during WW 2

[rampart]

I thought that phrase originated from a song Boys, Keep Your Powder Dry that was popular among the soldiers in the U.S. Civil War (1861 - 1865). Their muskets shot black powder. Black powder is ineffective when damp or wet.

You can hear the words and read the lyrics here:

http://mariah.stonemarche.org/livhis/powderdry.htm

[bricro]

"Trust in God and keep your powder dry!"

American Civil War maybe.

"Brewers", thinks Oliver Cromwell in Ireland said this to his troops before attacking ,after having crossed a river.

[Quizmonster]

The Cromwell origin is just an anecdote. It first appeared in a poem called 'Oliver's Advice' in a volume of verse entitled 'Ballads of Ireland' published in 1834. Still, that predates the American Civil War by several decades!

[paljor]

It originates from the period when flintlock weapons first came into use. If the powder was damp it wouldn't ignite and the weapon would fail to fire, so keeping your powder dry was vitally important. The phrase "Flash in the Pan" also came from this era, when the loose gunpowder in the "pan" ( the powder-holding part of the weapon) flared up upon firing, but didn't ignite the rest of the powder properly, thereby causing a mis-fire.