I finally learned that *a lot* is two words, AFTER I started teaching English.
I never heard of any of those mnemonics. They must be science related .

King Phillip, was the leader of a vicious Native American rebellion that killed thousands in MA in the 1600s. That probably accounts for the variation in the first mnemonic that Red Rhodie stated.
Of course, I didn't learn about King Phillip, until I had to teach a unit on Native Americans of the northeast. And I went to elementary school here, where in the 60's at least, we assumed there were never any Native Americans in Massachusetts.