> Currently, I am working on old-time sayings and one of my favorites is "bumper crop." I know what it means, but I don't understand the origin of it. How did the word "bumper" come to be used to describe a bountiful crop?
>

I find you can learn a lot about the origins of phrases by googling a phrase with the word "origin". I googled "bumper crop origin", and learned the following from the second hit:

" Bumper Crop

The term dates to 1759. It comes from the sense of bumper meaning a drinking cup filled to the brim--used for toasting, especially departures. This is some 75 years older than the usage with crop.

That in turn probably derives from the notion of bump being a protuberance in a container that is filled to bursting. "

Turns out that hit was at www.wordorigins.org, which might help you out with some of your other old sayings too.

^v^:)^v^
F"hope that clears it up"B