Sayings & phrases...W T F ?

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

A friend of mine at uni had a dutch mum who couldnt get to grips with them either. she used to make up her own so that phrases such as between a rock and a hard place became between a brick and a wall!!

One my students once told his project had "gone the shape of a pair". A pair of what?

 

[Easy 10]

"You can't have your cake and eat it"

This basically means that once you've eaten your cake, thats it, its gone. You can't keep hold of your cake and actually eat it as well - its one thing or the other. You can't have your cake AND eat it. If you eat it, its no longer there so you can't have it any more, even though you had it. Type thing.

 

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

Gone for good.

So it means something has gone forever. Fair enough. But why for good? When my last bird left me for good, it certainly wasn't good. I had to tidy my own room each day and I was spending a fortune on pornography again. As I'm as I'm concerned she left me for bad.

 

[Everest]

I think you've got the bird one the wrong way round; it's a bird in bush is worth two in the hand. I believe it comes from an old Zen saying to do with things being in their natural place.

No, it's definately a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Basically, it's better to have something small & reliable than something that's big & risky.

 

[Northstander]

It could mean the bird in your hand may be as good if not better than the two bush dwelling birds. If this bird doesn't hide away in a bush it would a braver type and therefore of far more value than "The two hidin in the bush!"

 

[Easy 10]

Basically, it's better to have something small & reliable than something that's big & risky.

Thats what I keep telling the missus, but she won't have it.

 

[Titanic]

And what's being caught red-handed all about ?

I've been caught red-faced, but never red-handed

 

[Northstander]

I was once nicking beetroot from me neighbour and she in fact caught me "Red handed!!"

There yer go....

 

[Easy 10]

And what's being caught red-handed all about ?

I've been caught red-faced, but never red-handed

This probably dates back to that early 1980's kids TV show The Red Hand Gang that was always on just after Why Don't You...? during the summer hols. Being "caught red handed" is when someone discovers you doing something that you really shouldn't be doing, such as having a wank in your nans back garden. Your hand would then be painted red so everyone would know you have been naughty. The Red Hand Gang were a bunch of goody-goody kids who would go around catching unintelligent adults doing things they shouldn't, or catching them "Red Handed", hence the name.

 

[Northstander]

Top thread this. People looking at me at work whilst laughin!!!

 

[Martlet]

"That went down like a lead balloon"

lead balloons go down BRILLIANTLY....

 

[Everest]

Thats what I keep telling the missus, but she won't have it.

That's funny, I keep telling her the opposite.

 

[swiss tony]

Someone told me a very interesting story about the origins of the phrases "one for the road" and "on the wagon".

When beheadings were still carried out in London, the prisoner would be paraded through the streets prior to being executed. Therefore prior to be taken out of the cell to meet his death, he was offered a whiskey- "one for the road". This is where "on the wagon" comes because by the time the prisoner was "on the wagon" he had obviously had his last drink!!!

Having lived in Central America for the past two years, I friend it interesting how alot of the local idioms are very recognisable to the ones we have with small changes.

For example in Spanish to say "the coast is clear" you say "no hay morros en la costa" - "there are no moors on the coast".

"between a rock and a hard place" is "entre la espada y la pared"- "between the sword and the wall".

My personal fave is when someone is lost and disorientated. They say "andas como perro en procesion"- "you're like a dog in a procession".

Quality.

 

[Seagull's Return]

"It goes like shit off a shovel"

Is shit especially fast when coming off a shovel?

Actually, yes: it's to do with the fact that some minerals change from a solid to a liquid form when made to cool from warm very quickly (I believe that there's some response to gravitational pressure involved also); these minerals then form a layer of moisture between the solid (shit) and the surface of the shovel, reducing friction and, therefore, speeding up the movement of the shit on the shovel.

The saying comes from the horse-racing fraternity, and presumably reflects the experiences of people moving horse-shit with (I guess cold, metal) shovels.

 

[dougdeep]

Led Zep were told that they were going to go down like a lead baloon, so that is where they got thier name from, as a zepellin was a Baloon.

Keith Moon suggested that.

 

[Tazman]

"Near Miss" - as in aeroplanes

That means they hit, doesn't it?
How do 2 planes, that don't hit each other, nearly miss??

 

[dougdeep]

Built like a brick shithouse?

 

[Waterhall Wizard]

Does anybody know the origins of , "I'll take a rain check on that one." ?

 

[pasty]

Does anybody know the origins of , "I'll take a rain check on that one." ?

Raincheck

First used when baseball games were rained out and fans were issued vouchers that allowed them to return and watch another game.

Loads Here

 

[dougdeep]

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish.
versus
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.