You know where this comes from? Russian! a word meaning 'quickly' or "in haste"

became popular in France after the napolionic wars.

(i would be glad to hear more...or be corrected if my source is wrong.)

I found this:
"Our rub today is the French bistro, or bistrot ---- both are correct, with bistro first appearing in 1884, followed by bistrot in 1892. The origin of the word is uncertain, but the most popular and romantic hypothesis is that it came from the Russian bystro (meaning quickly), introduced by Cossacks during the 1814 occupation of Paris as they shouted for faster service in cafes.

However, this picturesque interpretation is discounted by most lexicographers. They say that the word bistro probably came from Parisian argot meaning "proprietor of a tavern." Another less dreamy version is that bistro comes from the root bistre, meaning a somber and smokey place. "

Forgive me, I'm catching back up.

It may be apocryphal, but I remember hearing something about the practice of tipping originating in Colonial coffee- and chocolate-houses, where a box was mounted on the wall with a sign reading To Insure Promptness. Then the verbing of an acronym, blah blah blah, and here we are. Anyone confirm this?

Pre-20th century acronymic etymologies are automatically suspect.

http://www.wordorigins.org/wordort.htm#tip

while we're there, what's the pronunciation for "tow" in tow headed? like toe, or rhyming with cow? I've always said toe, but it made me wonder. I also noticed "tousled" in the explanation. are they related?

Isn't tow sometning to do with flax or linen? (too tired to look it up so I'll go home now and gratefully let someone else do the work)

yes, I believe that's true Zed.

Pronunciation is one of the most annoying deficiencies of
the Internet. I looked in a dozen different places, and none
of them had a clear statement about the pronunciation.
Tow is flax that has been retted and prepared for
spinning. It is the color of very blonde hair. And it is
pronounced like a digit on a foot, toe.

thanks, Helen.

M-W got me this:

Main Entry: 3 tow
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tow- spinning; akin to Old Norse tO tuft of wool for spinning, Old English tawian to prepare for use -- more at TAW
1 : short or broken fiber (as of flax, hemp, or synthetic material) that is used especially for yarn, twine, or stuffing
2 a : yarn or cloth made of tow b : a loose essentially untwisted strand of synthetic fibers

the pronunciation of "tow sack" was as "toe", so I'm assuming it's the same.

I'm catching back up.

Good luck with that.