Origins of sayings 1 - Eavesdropping

Everyone has come across this delightful saying, maybe even taken part in it at some point. But where does it come from? Listening furtively to other people's conversations, as conveyed by this unusual word, may seem a far cry from architecture, but that is where it's origin lies. In the case of buildings without gutters, the 'eavesdrop' was a narrow strip of ground around the outside of the walls, where water dripped from the eaves. So, anyone who wanted to listen to what was being said inside the building, had to stand 'within eavesdrop' in order to hear. Now you know.