17. There are lifehacks present in the works of Mark Twain
Those who for whatever reason deem it necessary to disguise themselves as members of the opposite sex will find a tip in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which, if followed, will lend an air of authenticity to their disguise. When Huck disguises himself as a girl to see what he can learn about the townspeople’s thoughts on his disappearance and presumed murder he visits a local widow. As they talked, she grew suspicious over his appearance, and after suggesting that she was unable to hit nearby rats with a lump of metal, asked Huck to attempt the throw for her. She dropped the lump of metal into his lap, and his reaction confirmed her suspicion that he was a boy disguised as a girl.
Therein lies the tip. She later explains to Huck that a girl, when something is dropped into her lap, would open her legs to receive it, catching it in the folds of her skirt, whereas a male (programmed by nature to protect what he holds most dear) would react as Huck had, clamping the legs together in response to the sudden intrusion of the object. Coupled with the fact that Huck had forgotten the name he originally gave her, substituting another, and didn’t throw like a girl, she deduced that he was a male in disguise. Useful information for impersonators, and indicative of the fact lifehacks from the past can be found in many diverse sources.