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Can anyone tell me the historical derivation of the following phrases?

To sit below the salt
To sell someone down the river
to be on tenderhooks
to pay on the nail
to come up to scratch
to bury the hatchet
to run the gauntlet
to pay on the nail

Some of these phrases have been discussed on this forum. For instance, "sell down the river" was mentioned recently; you can find it a few inches lower on the current discussion page. Try typing the most distinctive word from each phrase into the Search box below the list of archives. Then bring back here any questions that still need answers.