Historical derivations of the following phrases

Posted by R. Chapman on November 16, 2001

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

• Try the excellent archive first R. Berg 11/16/01