So in the book I'm reading, "Krakatoa" by Simon Winchester,
I discover the origins of the word, "Antimacassar".
Apparently, macassar was an oil from a plant in Indonesia, and the brits loved it, and would gob it on on their heads. This, of course, would stain any highback chair they sat in; thus the anti-macassar was invented to prevent chairs from being stained from hair oil.
I learn something every day!