iheartskins Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 As I'm grinding away in billable hour 11, the thought occured to me how ironic and/or inane some popular sayings are. For example, take "Indian Giver." Whoever came up with that has an excellent taste for irony. I like calling people "Native American Giver" to make it politically correct. Or consider "When push comes to shove," what does that even mean? When you push someone, is it really substantively different than a shove? Some of them I can understand, like "kick the bucket" or "burning the midnight oil." Ok, I get it, you died or you're working late, but other ones, just don't make any sense. My dad has literally hundreds (if not thousands) of these with which he constantly peppers his speech. I'd be curious if any of you have additional examples. Scratch that, I'm *sure* you have examples as these saying have thoroughly infected our culture. Post them in this thread, if you're interested. And for G-d sakes, please keep this on topic. For once. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 the long and short of it had to go around hogans barn. a stitch in time saves nine its darkest before the dawn every dark cloud has a silver lining Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Six in one hand, half a dozen in the other Spill the beans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted May 12, 2006 Author Share Posted May 12, 2006 the long and short of it That one I understand--you're basically referencing the materially important parts of the story. had to go around hogans barn.a stitch in time saves nine Ok, you got me Bob. I've never heard either one of these. Hogan's barn? What is that even? Six in one hand, half a dozen in the other Another one that makes sense--equal parts on both sides. Do you guys have any more ironic ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techboy Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 The term you're looking for is "idiom". I've always liked "hoist with his own petard". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted May 12, 2006 Author Share Posted May 12, 2006 The term you're looking for is "idiom". I've always liked "hoist with his own petard". I'm not really looking exclusively for idioms, as I'm also looking for cliched analogies and similies like "it's colder than a witches' tit." Explain the entomology of a phrase like that? Was there some kind of NIH study examining the temperature of enchanted nipples? Am I right in assuming that they were particularly cold? I just don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Ok, you got me Bob. I've never heard either one of these. Hogan's barn? What is that even? Here's how you would use the hogans barn one. If somebody gave you directions and it was a complicated path that was 5 miles. The later you found a way to get there in 3 miles with no turns. You would tell someone that he sent you around hogans barn to get there the first time. My parents are from the hills of VA (appalachia) I should be able to come up with some good ones if I can remember them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 red sky at night sailors delight, red sky in morning sailor take warning crooked as a dogs hind leg he's a brick short of a load his elevator doesn't go to the top floor straighten up and fly right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redskins Diehard Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 My favorite ironic saying is "As I sit here on Extrememskins in my 11th billable hour":)(only slightly modified) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techboy Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 "A stitch in time saves nine" is another way of saying that "an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure". If you stitch up the rip when it starts, you don't have to do it later when the rip has become much bigger. It's better to address a problem early than to let it fester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistymjohnson Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 "It's raining cats and dogs" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redskins Diehard Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink(why a horse, and why drinking?) That is the long pole in the tent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Phrase I once read in an Analog magazine: Many popular phrases have come, over time, to have different meanings from those originally intended. For example, the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" originally meant "I wonder what would happen to the cat if I . . " ----- My dad has told me that when he was in college, a "jock" wasn't a college athelete. The term, back then, referred to the boosters. (Because they were athletic supporters.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 "it's colder than a witches' tit." witches were believed to have a third nipple that was a gateway to the infernal places that all of their infernal magics were unleashed from. It was reportedly colder than anything on the planet. appearantly the reason I thought it was that way was wrong, I double checked cause after I thought about it I had no way to justify my definition. I found this http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/1/messages/2433.html +++++ But there's some history behind this wisecrack. A witch's tit (or witch's teat, to use the older spelling) supposedly left a marking that witch hunters and courts would look for on the body of an accused person. Supposedly, witches would suckle their familiars, and sometimes the Devil himself, from this "unholy" body part. To find these marks, as well as insensitive spots on the skin called devil's marks--caused by the Devil's claws or teeth--the suspects were stripped, shaven, then closely examined for any blemishes, moles, or even scars that could be labeled as diabolical. To find marks invisible to the eye, the examiner would poke the victim inch by inch with a blunt needle (called a bodkin) until they found a spot that didn't feel pain or bled. Discovery of these marks or spots--one supposes they would be considered cold since they were a sign of communion with the Devil--would be "proof" of the person's dealings with Scratch, so they would be shown in full court before the execution. +++++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Re: Indian Giver: Growing up, I'd always thought that was because somebody was claiming that Indians would give people things, then take them back. (That was back when Indians, to me, were people on TV with feathers and paing who said "ugh" a lot. Among other things, before I found out that I am one.) Now, I'm convinced that it references the way the US would give things to the Indians, and then take them back. ----- I've also, myself, wondered if the noun "luggage" comes from "that which is lugged". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 YIPEE!!! I GOT (random number) POSTS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 YIPEE!!! I GOT (random number) POSTS!!! No. In order to do it properly, you need to start your own thread for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Here's a site with alot of sayings and you click on them for the origins of the saying. http://www.idiomsite.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 No. In order to do it properly, you need to start your own thread for that. :laugh: Ya, technicaly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Here's a good one. Your name is mud This idiom means 'you are not popular'. While escaping after shooting President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth broke his leg. The doctor that gave him medical attention was Dr. Samuel Mudd. At the time, Mudd had no idea that Booth had committed the murder. Dr. Mudd was unfairly convicted of being a conspirator to Booth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 I've heard that "rule of thumb" is supposedly a reference to the 19th century when men were allowed to beat their wives with a stick no wider than their thumb. I'm not really sure about the credibility behind that one though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 12th Commandment Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 It's on like a pot of neck bones sharp as a marble cool as a cucumber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 And for G-d sakes, please keep this on topic. For once. Thanks in advance. "For God sakes." Shouldnt it be "For God's sake"? :whoknows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Hot as the Dickens. WTF is the Dickens? How and why is it so hot? Is the Dickens a perfect combination of...oh I don't know...Beyonce Knowles, Jessica Alba, and Stacy Keibler by any chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Hot as the Dickens.WTF is the Dickens? How and why is it so hot? Is the Dickens a perfect combination of...oh I don't know...Beyonce Knowles, Jessica Alba, and Stacy Keibler by any chance? Nope, they mean Dickens, Nebraska. http://www.wunderground.com/US/NE/Dickens.html Its hot there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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