Phrases you've never understood.

[Jake Lewis Clayton]

"Thats remarkable" basicly all you are saying is that it is possible to make a statement about the thing in question. I could say "This piece of paper is remarkable" because I can make a remark about it by saying, "It is white" or even just "This is a piece of paper". The word/phrase is meaningless.

It means it's worthy of note, worthy of a remark etc.

Stop being pedantic.

 

[Elijah Ball]

lol, i thought "i could care less".

it should be i couldn't care less.

 

[The Funslinger]

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? ._ .

Well it's just that shit is quite probably the most unpleasant think to have suddenly splattered across the room. I don't think how it got there's really important to the metaphor.

 

[The Seldom Seen Kid]

Pet peeve.

It's fucking annoying and makes no sense.

 

[Archangel768]

I could care less. That means that you don't really think it's the irrelevant because there are other things that you COULD CARE less about.

If you're going to say it then say it properly. I COULDN'T care less.

Have your cake and eat it too. Why the hell would you just get a cake and not eat it?

Eat your crusts and your hair will go curly. This is used to encourage kids to eat their crusts except I don't want my hair to go curly so why would I eat my crust again? Curly hair would look absolutely stupid on me.

 

[crudus]

"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.

OP said "you want to have your cake and eat it" I agree with him, what I can't do is eat my cake and have it.

It originally appeared in a book (by John Heywood) in 1546 and was originally "wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?". Naturally, it has been garbled has time has passed.

 

[Jake Lewis Clayton]

"Way to ruin a song" <-- Heard when someone hears a Remix of a song, and they don't like the Remix.

I just don't get it. How can a remix of a song spoil the original? If you don't like the Remix then go back to listen to the original, while those of us who prefer the remix listen to that instead.

meh I can't explain the origions of this one as it's too modern to find out where it was first published.


But I can explain the meaning,

It's saying that the recallection of the remix while thinking of the origional will taint the origional memory or nastalga that goes with it.

Or it could become the popular version played over the years, therefore ruining the origional.

(wish i had an example for those to be honest, but none pops to mind).

 

[Jake Lewis Clayton]

Pet peeve.

It's fucking annoying and makes no sense.

It makes perfect sense, it's a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to him or her, to a greater degree than others may find it.

(for a change just a simple copy and paste job)

 

[Denamic]

Why is it called 'taking a dump' when you're actually leaving one?
It just doesn't make sense.

 

[Jake Lewis Clayton]

Eat your crusts and your hair will go curly. This is used to encourage kids to eat their crusts except I don't want my hair to go curly so why would I eat my crust again? Curly hair would look absolutely stupid on me.

This is something I've had trouble with myself in the past with.

But I heard from someone else something that sounds pretty reasonable, during oldendays (not exactly sure which years) there was a time when both curly hair was fashionable/seen as well groomed and food very scarce among british workers.


Now as bread quite often gets hard and kids will often refuse to eat crusts, I think it was a parents way of trying to get their kids to eat as much as possible on the scrap budget by convincing them it would make them look fashionable/beautiful.

 

[Jake Lewis Clayton]

Why is it called 'taking a dump' when you're actually leaving one?
It just doesn't make sense.

It comes from, i'm taking the following action or course.


eg. taking a break, really you arn't taking anything.

eg.2 taking a drug, your ingesting something.

 

[Archangel768]

Eat your crusts and your hair will go curly. This is used to encourage kids to eat their crusts except I don't want my hair to go curly so why would I eat my crust again? Curly hair would look absolutely stupid on me.

This is something I've had trouble with myself in the past with.

But I heard from someone else something that sounds pretty reasonable, during oldendays (not exactly sure which years) there was a time when both curly hair was fashionable/seen as well groomed and food very scarce among british workers.


Now as bread quite often gets hard and kids will often refuse to eat crusts, I think it was a parents way of trying to get their kids to eat as much as possible on the scrap budget by convincing them it would make them look fashionable/beautiful.

Yeah, that's basically the reason I've heard, it's just that curly hair isn't really 'fashionable' anymore and I at least wasn't living with scarce food supplies. I just doesn't make any sense now. But yea, my mum said when she was young that curly hair was the desirable thing.

 

[Jake Lewis Clayton]

Eat your crusts and your hair will go curly. This is used to encourage kids to eat their crusts except I don't want my hair to go curly so why would I eat my crust again? Curly hair would look absolutely stupid on me.

This is something I've had trouble with myself in the past with.

But I heard from someone else something that sounds pretty reasonable, during oldendays (not exactly sure which years) there was a time when both curly hair was fashionable/seen as well groomed and food very scarce among british workers.


Now as bread quite often gets hard and kids will often refuse to eat crusts, I think it was a parents way of trying to get their kids to eat as much as possible on the scrap budget by convincing them it would make them look fashionable/beautiful.

Yeah, that's basically the reason I've heard, it's just that curly hair isn't really 'fashionable' anymore and I at least wasn't living with scarce food supplies. I just doesn't make any sense now. But yea, my mum said when she was young that curly hair was the desirable thing.

Well i'm glad i've helped clear things up.

Generally curly and even the larger lady was the more popular thing before vogue magazine et al.

 

[Squarez]

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.

 

[Dangit2019]

turn over a new leaf. lolwut?

 

[Torrasque]

"The pen is mightier than the sword"

In literal context, lolno.
I know the saying should be "The pen will effect more things, for a longer period of time, and to greater effect, than the sword", but its not.
Every time I hear that saying, I imagine a guy with a ballpoint pen, fighting Siegfried who has his Zweihander.

A phrase much better than this, that I really love is:
"Ideas are bulletproof"

 

[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?

 

[zehydra]

"I guess"

usually used as a concession, it is a response which means something like "sure" but perhaps more reluctant.

What that has to do with guessing, I have no idea.

 

[zehydra]

turn over a new leaf. lolwut?

if you read leaf as in leaf of paper, I think it makes more sense, although I don't know if that's what it's supposed to mean.

 

[stvncpr236]

"Smart as paint." What the hell does that mean. I have never heard of cans of paint at a Mensa meeting.