Common Idioms/Expressions That Never Made Sense To You

[octafish]

fight fire with fire

It doesn't freaking work!

Gee I guess I'll tell all those Firefighters in backburning operations to just go home and let the fires run away huh?

snip* It's third wheel
sorry, but it is

Ripley: "I sorta feel like a fifth wheel around here. Is there anything I can do?"

Apone: "I don't know...is there anything you can do?"

Ripley: "Well....i can drive that loader. I have a class 2 rating."

Apone (chomping on his cigar): "Be my guest"

*Ripley proficiently climbs in and activates the power loader and expertly grabs a crate of ammunition*

Ripley (smugly): "Where ya want it?"

Apone (laughing): "Bay 12, please."

You stow that shit!

 

[Aeriath]

Ripley: "I sorta feel like a fifth wheel around here. Is there anything I can do?"

Apone: "I don't know...is there anything you can do?"

Ripley: "Well....i can drive that loader. I have a class 2 rating."

Apone (chomping on his cigar): "Be my guest"

*Ripley proficiently climbs in and activates the power loader and expertly grabs a crate of ammunition*

Ripley (smugly): "Where ya want it?"

Apone (laughing): "Bay 12, please."

You stow that shit!

I think third wheel is more common I'm afraid:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=third%20wheel
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Being-a-Third-Wheel
http://www.goenglish.com/thirdwheel.asp

I did find fifth wheel ( http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fifth_wheel ) but the search results for third wheel were more relevant to the meaning we are talking about here.


As for expressions that I've never learned the meaning behind, "You'll get along like a house on fire".

 

[FalloutJack]

The best of all these idioms is the very British phrase: "Bob's your uncle".

But Bjorn Stronginthearm is my uncle...

 

[Lord Legion]

"It's the bees knees."

Bees don't have knees...they have segmented joints. It really doesn't make any sense as a positive idiom either...after all, no one enjoys being touched by a bee's knee, that's probably the instance just before you get stung.

 

[Mad_Ogre]

what about the dog's bollocks?

 

[Drakane]

Pot calling the kettle black.

I know what it means, but...

...what if my pot isn't black?

refer to an early post of mine.. in short flames create suit making anything that is cooked on them black, be it pot or kettle.

Not to be pedantic, but you've referred to it as "suit" three times now. As you are probably very aware, a suit is an item of clothing, whereas the word you're looking for is "soot".

Sorry, was a but less then 100% sober last night, but I still stand by my statements other than the clear misuse of a word. I did in fact mean soot over suit, my boggle.

 

[JC123]

Sh*t-eating grin. I'll leave it at that.

Funnily enough, it was a stand-up comedian who made me understand that one. Can't remember who, but he explained that it means you're so happy that you could still have that grin while eating shit. He said "If I'm ever that happy, shoot me."

A stitch in time saves nine. What the hell is a stitch in time and what exactly is it saving nine of?

It means a stitch in time (before the tear) saves nine (stitches later). I.E. Prevention is the best cure.

"Fun as a Barrel Full of Monkeys!"
Has anyone ever actually been in a barrel full of monkeys? Somehow I doubt that it's as fun as it's all cracked up to be...

Spoiler: Ahem....

Every time I reply in this thread, I get this in my head.

Spoiler: Image!

 

[tharglet]

"Playing it by ear"
can you really play something with your ear?
I don't think so

Because "playing by listening" doesn't really work as well.

 

[Gammaj4]

"It's like trying to have your cake and eat it too."

Why wouldn't I want to eat cake that I have?

That phrase is poorly written
It should be:
"Tying to eat your cake and still have it"
The Idea is that x is like trying to eat your cake, but still have it afterward.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

"Fun as a Barrel Full of Monkeys!"
Has anyone ever actually been in a barrel full of monkeys? Somehow I doubt that it's as fun as it's all cracked up to be...

Spoiler: Ahem....

Those monkey-arms are surprisingly sharp...

 

[thylasos]

Head over heels.

Was this saying coined by a clumsy bat or something? A clumsy bat that wore heels, I guess.

I was under the impression it was something to do with bowing, though obviously it's hyperbole.

 

[thylasos]

what about the dog's bollocks?

The reputed origin of that is mid-20th century Meccano boxes, labelled "Box - Standard" and "Box - Deluxe", giving us "bog standard" and "dog's bollocks" respectively.

 

[thylasos]

"Playing it by ear"
can you really play something with your ear?
I don't think so

Well it's... idiomatic? Metaphorical? Whatever.

In any case, it refers to improvisation in a fluid situation, either in acting or music originally, I'd imagine, probably as an antithetical statement to "playing by rote".