Phrases you've never understood.

[SckizoBoy]

Close, but no cigar. Does that mean a cigar is a reward for succeeding? Never understood it, but I like it.

I believe that's an Americanism borne from really really old fashioned fairgrounds where cigars were handed out as prizes. When competitors almost succeeded vendors would say 'close, but no cigar' in a literal sense.

 

[Evil Top Hat]

Have your cake and eat it is so simple.

You can either have a cake, or you can eat the cake.
If you eat it, you have no cake left.
If you save your cake and just have it in your hand, you can't eat it.

Having your cake and eating it too means you get to eat cake, but you still have a cake left afterwards.

Oh right, I never knew that was what it meant. I think I (and most people) got confused because "having your cake and eating it to" sounds like a descriptions of somebodys actions in chronological order, plus, "having your cake" is a totally stupid thing to say, because the phrase means to have something good and then trying to have another as well, and cakes are useless and pointless unless you actually eat them, so simply having a cake, which is the implied first "good thing", isn't a good thing at all.

"Eating your cake and asking for another" would be a lot more logicial. I feel like I've taken this a tad too seriously.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

In some very old english farm terms come in, buying the sow, = marry the daughter, bought the bucket ( to bring milk for the new baby = new life) to kick the bucket ( the bucket is empty, the cow kicks it, its dead) buying the farm was something you tried to do in your lifetime. Some references to Chauser talked about the landowner buying the farm from the dead owner.

I always thought 'kick the bucket' came from suicides. You'd stand on a bucket while tying the noose, then kick it away when you were ready

 

[The Eyeball Moose]

"For the love of Pete" and "For Pete's sake".
Is Pete supposed to represent God? Did someone appoint Pete as the new God? That would make sense. If not, I don't know a Pete. Is Pete your friend? Why do you like him so much? I thought you loved ME. Are you seeing someone else? That's it, we're done. We're breaking up. Game over, *****.

'For God's sake!', 'For Christ's sake!' and by association 'For the Holy Ghost's sake!' just sounds dumb.

So, the third is just a prompt shortening of 'For St. Peter's sake!' Whether he is less offended, I don't know... nor do I care all that much, but that's where 'for Pete's sake!' comes from.

I don't care, me and her still aren't seeing each other anymore.

 

[DeathChairOfHell]

"Hot Potato". Why specifically a potato? I mean, they're not that hard to hold even when they are hot, unless you open them up.

 

[Braedan]

Eh? How does one "try hard"?

To try hard is to put forth as much effort as possible to attempt something.

Yeah but we're trying to understand why people use the words they do, not what the words mean.

I know that being "sharp" is to be intelligent, but not why they chose the word sharp.

 

[Scrustle]

One that really REALLY gets on my nerves is "stop feeling sorry for yourself". What the hell is that supposed to mean? It doesn't make any sense when you think about it. Feeling sorry means when you feel guilty and remorseful for doing something wrong to someone, how can you feel that about yourself? I've never experienced anything even vaguely like that feeling. It makes no sense at all. It makes me so angry when people say that to me.

 

[Rin Little]

"Happy as a clam."

Whoever said clams were happy? They're stuck in shells they're entire lives and the only time they see day light is if they're getting wrenched open to be eaten... sounds pretty miserable to me.

Original is As happy as a clam at high tide. I guess clams are only harvested at low tide.

Ok, now that makes a lot more sense, thanks for the explanation

 

[axeman157]

"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares into you"

I don't get the abyss staring part.

 

[tehweave]

INB4 "I could care less"

Umad?

Edit: Head over Heels, My head is generally over my heels, regardless of mood.

It's a sarcastic phrase. If you were to elongate it it would be "I COULD care less, but I highly doubt it."

Head over heels: If you're head over heels in love it means that metaphorically your entire body (from head to heels) is in love with someone.

 

[axeman157]

"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares into you"

I don't get the abyss staring part.

 

[vxicepickxv]

"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares into you"

I don't get the abyss staring part.

Think of it more as a metaphor for sin. The abyss is not always literal, sometimes it's figurative. Whenever you look at something, some aspect of it always sticks with you(unless it's so traumatic you block it out).

Sometimes it's harmless, and sometimes it's very destructive.

 

[ChickenZombie]

"Shit just got real"

Im pretty sure it's been around for a very long time, it's not like a trending thing.....

 

[retyopy]

Have your cake and eat it is so simple.

You can either have a cake, or you can eat the cake.
If you eat it, you have no cake left.
If you save your cake and just have it in your hand, you can't eat it.

Having your cake and eating it too means you get to eat cake, but you still have a cake left afterwards.


What is so confusing about that?

What? What is the purpose of having a cake if you aren't going to eat it? Ok, so I won't have the cake later, but that's life.

 

[retyopy]

INB4 "I could care less"

Dammit...That's exactly what I was going to say. Damn nonsensical Americanism

Yep, them damn 'mericans is so stupid.

 

[Hides His Eyes]

"For the love of Pete" and "For Pete's sake".
Is Pete supposed to represent God? Did someone appoint Pete as the new God? That would make sense. If not, I don't know a Pete. Is Pete your friend? Why do you like him so much? I thought you loved ME. Are you seeing someone else? That's it, we're done. We're breaking up. Game over, *****.

St. Peter?

"I could care less." Haven't we had this discussion on another thread? The unspoken part that comes next is "...but not a whole lot." It's to be said in a thoroughly lazy tone and with a non-committal shrug. "I could care less about the next CoD, I guess, but not a whole lot."

 

[retyopy]

A women holding a sign said "I'm not a sex object" while nude (or partly nude)

So... As a male, i don't know if I should feel ashamed or aroused.

I'm not a murderer, says my sign, whilst I am plunging my knife through the hearts of helpless innocents, preferably orphans.

 

[retyopy]

"Wow, just wow."

You've already said 'wow' by itself, now you've added 'just' and repeated it. If you really wanted to say just wow, then you would have just said 'wow' and been done with it.

I beleive this is basically said to say "this is great, JUST great," as in there is nothing BUT wow here.

 

[Pumpkin_Eater]

MTG players will disparagingly describe some cards as "win mores." If I read this online and couldn't hear their tone of voice I would assume they meant it lets you win more often (ie provides consistency). I assume that it actually means something along the lines of "win by more," but I get embarrassed asking about the meaning of slang terms.