Phrases you've never understood.

[I Have No Idea]

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Jake Lewis Clayton is on fire ladies and gentlemen.

OT: Buying the farm. If that's a euphemism for dying, then why would I be buying property?

I love the phrase "screwed the pooch", though. Gets me every time.

 

[darkless]

"They get along like a house on fire" to describe two people who get on well

Earliest reference to this i have seen is 1741.


Now this is just speculation on my part, but it could be to do with houses being mostly furnished in wood, built in most parts of the world from wood, and without adequate fire fighting equipment.


I've also heard the phrase "they took to each other like a house on fire"

Which would make even more sense as flames can be said to take to something.

hope this helps

"They take to each other like a house on fire" makes much more sense actually, so that does help

 

[Kurt Horsting]

"have your cake and eat it too." If I have a cake, it's because I'm going to eat it.

So... Go crazy.

The phrase comes from the time when "to have" meant to possess something without the double meaning of "to eat" when used in context with food. So basically you cant eat a cake and have a cake at the same time since eating it the cake would destroy it. So, to enjoy your cake you must either eat the cake or keep the cake in your possession to eat later.

 

[Beautiful End]

Also, "When shit hits the fan" and it's related phrases.

Why would the shit hit the fan? Is it piling up in a room and it's about to reach the roof? Or is there a fan oscillating and the shit is slowly approaching? Or is someone gonna toss the shit at the fan and it will cause it to splatter everywhere?

As in the shit would be sent flying everywhere by splattering off the fan.

Seriously, I think some of you are over thinking some of these in an attempt to find fault with ones that haven't been suggested.

Actually, my friends and me have discussed this before but we've never agreed on a single definition for it. I think someone tosses shit at the fan. My friend thinks the shit is piling up in a room. Either way, we know it means bad news. But I would like to know where the idea came from. You know, "When time runs out" makes more sense. But "Shit hits the fan"? Why? ._ .

Shit hitting the fan comes from the old saying.

When the pie hits the fan, or soup hits the fan, it's a reference to food hitting electric fans back when they generally didn't have front covers, in kitchens in the first half of the 20th century.

Obviously it meant the food went everywhere and that was where the bad conatation came from, then over time it got changed to shit in slang.

Ah, see? THAT is actually helpful! Now I can properly end this debate my friends and I were having. Thanks!

 

[Dracowrath]

Tit for tat. I know what a tit is, but wtf is a tat?

This is a "tat".

Spoiler

I c wut u did thur

 

[Knife]

In sports when commentators say "He's as good as anyone at _____" If he's as good as anyone then what's so great about him?

It means that there's no-one better. Like how even if someone was absolutely amazing at a sport, this player would be as good, if not better than them.

But if he's as good as anyone, than anyone is as good as him... Therefore he's average. That's why I don't get it.

Well not really, because "being as good as anyone" and "anyone being good as him" don't mean the same thing in the same way that "I eat them" and "they eat me" don't mean the same thing.

That's a false analogy though. "as good as" is a comparison, meaning that they are on equal terms. "eat" is just a verb.

Saying "I am as good as XXX" means essentially that "i = XXX" or "I am on par with XXX" whereas "I eat XXX" is more similar to "I > XXX"


If I am as good as you, then how is it possible that you are not also as good as me? It doesn't make sense. However you are saying that "I'm as good as anyone" does not mean the same as "anyone is as good as me" and are instead suggesting that "I'm as good as anyone" means "I am as good as the best individual out of the group defined as 'anyone'"

Do you see what I mean?

"As good as" in this case doesn't mean "equal to" it means "equal or greater to". For instance a sports car is as good as a minivan in terms of speed because a sports car can go at the maximum speed of the minivan. A minivan however is not as good as a sports car in terms of speed because it can't reach the maximum speed of the sports car.
Or for instance a good student can fail an exam if he wants to, but a bad student can't necesarily pass it even he wants to - the good student can choose to be/act with equal skill as the bad student.
Basically it means that if object A is just as good as object B then object B can be substituted by object A but not necesarily vice versa.
So saying a person is "as good as anyone" would mean that the person can show as much skill as anyone else, so that person would be best at what he does.

 

[wicket42]

3) "There are no atheists in Foxholes" - a blatant lie. There are quite a few. Look up the stats yourself if you don't believe me.

"'There are no atheists in foxholes' is not an argument against atheism, it's an argument against foxholes."

 

[Merkavar]

something involving pooing your pants when scared. "i nearly shit my self" for example.

i never under stood why you would poo your pants when scared until recently. apparently its part of the fight or flight thing. crapping your self when scared lightens the load when you try to run and makes you a less appeitising target for a hungry carnivore.

 

[Sight Unseen]

In sports when commentators say "He's as good as anyone at _____" If he's as good as anyone then what's so great about him?

It means that there's no-one better. Like how even if someone was absolutely amazing at a sport, this player would be as good, if not better than them.

But if he's as good as anyone, than anyone is as good as him... Therefore he's average. That's why I don't get it.

Well not really, because "being as good as anyone" and "anyone being good as him" don't mean the same thing in the same way that "I eat them" and "they eat me" don't mean the same thing.

That's a false analogy though. "as good as" is a comparison, meaning that they are on equal terms. "eat" is just a verb.

Saying "I am as good as XXX" means essentially that "i = XXX" or "I am on par with XXX" whereas "I eat XXX" is more similar to "I > XXX"


If I am as good as you, then how is it possible that you are not also as good as me? It doesn't make sense. However you are saying that "I'm as good as anyone" does not mean the same as "anyone is as good as me" and are instead suggesting that "I'm as good as anyone" means "I am as good as the best individual out of the group defined as 'anyone'"

Do you see what I mean?

"As good as" in this case doesn't mean "equal to" it means "equal or greater to". For instance a sports car is as good as a minivan in terms of speed because a sports car can go at the maximum speed of the minivan. A minivan however is not as good as a sports car in terms of speed because it can't reach the maximum speed of the sports car.
Or for instance a good student can fail an exam if he wants to, but a bad student can't necesarily pass it even he wants to - the good student can choose to be/act with equal skill as the bad student.
Basically it means that if object A is just as good as object B then object B can be substituted by object A but not necesarily vice versa.
So saying a person is "as good as anyone" would mean that the person can show as much skill as anyone else, so that person would be best at what he does.

I get that that's what its supposed to mean but that "or greater to" is implied, and is not actually in the term itself. I would have no issue if they said "that guy is as good as or better than anyone" but if you just say "that guy is as good as anyone" that 'or greater than' is an implied term and if the phrase is taken completely literally it doesn't make sense.

 

[Drew Richard]

"Would you like some cheese with that whine?"
I've never gotten that. What does cheese have to do with wine, which I believe is the intended pun.

 

[MisterM2402]

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

Yes, but if you are "*falling* head over heels", then you're falling head-first. Your love of someone is so overwhelming it's caused you to pass out and fall over.

"Sleep like a log" or "sawing logs" (as reference to snoring)

Logs are flat, silent and motionless on the ground, like yourself if you are sleeping soundly (without tossing/turning and making noise).

As cool as a cucumber.

Cucumbers are mostly water - that's makes them refreshing and cooling, though "cool" is in the other sense of the word.

OT: Its all good.

You're not meaning *everything in the entire world* is good, you're talking about everything pertaining to the current situation is "good/fine".

"Can't see a forest for the trees".

So, it's impossible to look at a forest on behalf of the trees?

"For" in the case means "because of", not "on behalf of". Other people have already explained the rest to you, though.

4) "It's always darkest before dawn".

This is talking about a *specific time* before dawn, otherwise known as "night", not "just before". LOTS of things happened before today's dawn: invention of the lightbulb, construction of the Empire State building, Crystal Pepsi - you just gotta use common sense to figure *when* this idiom is meaning.

Here's one; "It's on the tip of my tongue." - what? No it's not. It's in your head and you're trying to get it out into words!

Look up the word "metaphor". Don't take it so literally.

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You know, "When time runs out" makes more sense. But "Shit hits the fan"? Why? ._ .

But it's got nothing to do with time running out - it's got everything to do with a bad event that causes lots of other bad events/messes everything up.

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i really am really confused by this one.

You use it to show that there was a quote there, but you deleted it anyway because it was too long/not important to your reply. If you just leave it blank, the quote box wont show.

"A picture is worth 1000 words". That's fine, but how much is a word worth? My theory is they are worth nothing as the market appears to be supersaturated with them.

It means that you can convey with a picture what it could take 1000 words to convey (1000 being an arbitrary number, seeing as you like to think everything it literal as possible ) - "A picture is worth 1000 words" worth of explanation.

"Would you like some cheese with that whine?"
I've never gotten that. What does cheese have to do with wine, which I believe is the intended pun.

Cheese and wine go well together flavour-wise, apparently (I wouldn't know). Cheese and Wine Pairing Guide [http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Wine-and-Alcohol-644/wine-cheese-pairing-guide.aspx]

OT: "Taking the biscuit/cake/Mick/Micky/Michael" - I get what it means, I just don't know where it comes from.
"Took/ripped the piss out of X" - some reference to a Mortal Kombat fatality?

 

[AwkwardTurtle]

Shoot the breeze. It means to talk I suppose, but I have no idea why...

 

[ClockworkAngel]

"have your cake and eat it too." If I have a cake, it's because I'm going to eat it.

So... Go crazy.

As I've understood it the whole phrase has been learned backward. I thought it was supposed to be "You can't eat your cake and have it, too."

Man .. I had a phrase just the other day that made me stop and think, "What does that even mean?" but now I can't remember. Will edit when I am bombarded with remembrance!

 

[Elle-Jai]

When in Rome!

The full quote is "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" which basically means to conform to local customs and standards.

OT: Touch wood. Are trees Satanists now and must be avoided so fate doesn't come after you?

I believe we inherit that from Druidic times. The Druids had 13 sacred trees and touching them was meant to bring good luck and inhibit bad luck.

OT myself: "Lol" Why SAY lol? Why not just freaking laugh?!

 

[That_Sneaky_Camper]

"have your cake and eat it too." If I have a cake, it's because I'm going to eat it.

So... Go crazy.

The way my Dad explained it to me is that it means you need to realize that wanting the cake is better than having it, because you can enjoy the cake and want it while it is still there but once you eat it there is no more to eat and you can no longer enjoy the cake. Still very silly terminology as who in their right mind would get a cake if they weren't going to eat it.

Anyway something that always bothered me is the phrase "Tap on wood.", which is something my friends would tell me to do as a token of good luck when I was thinking of something bad that might happen. How is tapping on wood supposed to protect me?

 

[C95J]

As cool as a cucumber.

Is this a reference to this?
Go to about 1:10 for the line

If it is, then I applaud you

 

[Knife]

I get that that's what its supposed to mean but that "or greater to" is implied, and is not actually in the term itself. I would have no issue if they said "that guy is as good as or better than anyone" but if you just say "that guy is as good as anyone" that 'or greater than' is an implied term and if the phrase is taken completely literally it doesn't make sense.

You have to take the phrase in the right context to understand it correctly - "as good" isn't the same as "exactly as able". To illustrate what it means i'll return to the example with substituting one thing for another, imagine you're making a dinner and you have a recipy that requires lemons but as it turns out you only have oranges and use them instead. Now like in a badly made RPG there are 2 possible outcomes - the good one and the bad one. The bad one means the substitution didn't work and oranges completely ruined your dinner. The good one means that despite using orange you got yourself an edible dinner which was either exactly the same as the one you'd get by using lemons or perhaps even better.
"As good as" would mean that substituting lemons for oranges would still lead you to the "good" outcome (not necesarily the same, here lies the subtle difference between good and same).
Now if we look at people, then we must understand that a person's skill isn't something constant but rather something that can be limited - like the example with the cars from earlier, just because you have a high maximum speed doesn't mean its your only possible speed while driving. "As good" would mean that the person CAN be as good as somebody else not that he MUST be. Since he can be as good it would mean that he IS at the very least as good, with a potential to be better.
From these two points (good versus same, actual skill versus demonstrated skill) comes the implied "greater than". So long as you use "as good" and not "exactly as good" this remains an open possibility, and considering the context in which it is said it is this meaning that is implied.

 

[Shraggler]

I'm blanking on phrases right now - most everyone here has hit at least one that's got me at one time or another.

To jump on the David Mitchell's SoapBox bandwagon (and if you don't understand the meaning of the phrase 'to jump on the bandwagon' -- make note), spelling is one of the things I don't understand. I don't understand how people can be so bad at it. It is alarming. Browsers with built-in spellchecks that don a red, squiggly line where you should consider what you've typed are ubiquitous, but that doesn't stop them. It just makes me think that people are truly stupid. If you're not going to take time to proofread what you've written, how well thought out is your point in the first place?

David Mitchell makes a quick, but important, jab at the end of the video: people who use "should/would/could of" instead of "should/would/could have or 've". I've literally seen this on Facebook hundreds of times. They hear someone say "I should've picked that up" and somehow, in their mind, it translates as "I should of picked that up." That doesn't even make sense. What that shows is people don't even think about what they're writing or saying.

Clearly people don't even understand that what they've written is incorrect, therefore their entire sentence/post is completely useless - it may as well be gibberish. They're using a phrasing that doesn't even exist in the language because they think it means something else. Too bad intent doesn't count.

I'm definitely not saying I'm perfect, and that's the thing that bothers me most. I'm constantly proofreading my writing, making sure that my wording and phrasing is clear, that I'm using proper tense and wording to transmit information, that my spelling is correct and I'm using the correct and intended word in order to send the correct and intended meaning, etc. The fact that the vast majority don't do this is incredible. People aren't conveying anything but ignorance.

Enough ranting, here's more David Mitchell:

 

[the_snake4256]

there is very little u can do with a cake, chief of these being eat it. there is no point in havin a cake without eatin it unless u r givin it to somone else who will probably then proceed to eat it.

 

[Guestyman]

"Would you like some cheese with that whine?"
I've never gotten that. What does cheese have to do with wine, which I believe is the intended pun.

At wine tasting events cheese is used as a palate cleanser. You eat the cheese so you can't still taste the previous wine when you swish the next one around your mouth and that way you can say "The previous wine was very fruity, but this next one tastes of cheese for some reason" or whatever it is you do at those events.