Sayings you dont understand

[ZodiacMaster101]

"it's raining cats and dogs" never made a lick of sense to me. anyone care to explain?

Back during the medieval times, or something like that, people started moving into large cities where buildings had roofs made of hay, cats and dogs would sleep on top of the hay because the hay was good at trapping heat. Whenever it would rain it would soften up the roof quite a bit, and the cats and dogs would fall through the roof, making it seem like it was raining cats and dogs.

 

[ENKC]

When in Rome...

The rest of the phrase goes "...do as the Romans do." Why they chose Rome of all places is beyond me.

Well, it was attributed to this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose

He was one of the most important figures in the Roman Catholic Church at a time when Rome was still the pre-eminent world power, albeit very much on the wain.

 

[A Free Man]

Not necessarily. For example, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. That is a rule. There is no exception to it, and yet it is still a rule. If there was an exception to it, then it would disprove the rule.

yes, im just saying that if something has an EXCEPTION then the rest of it is a rule. im not saying that all rules have exceptions.

this saying exist only because of definition of word exception. exception means that one (or few) things dont follow the rule, but that there is one thus proving the rule.

However, I have not heard it said that the exception proves the rule, because if it is an exception, then it goes against the rule. I have only ever heard it said that the exception disproves the rule

Yeh this is one I don't like also, I get that there can be certain exceptions to a specific rule but in no way do they ever actually prove the rule that they are an exception to. Perhaps this saying was originally a joke and because people are stupid we just started using it.

 

[MrTiki]

Ah, I just thought of an exceptionally awesome one : "enough room to swing a cat"
I wonder how they first started using it

 

[WolfThomas]

Ah, I just thought of an exceptionally awesome one : "enough room to swing a cat"
I wonder how they first started using it

A cat o' nine tails or a particularly vicious whip. Often a punishment in the Army and Navy from around 200-300 years ago. Having enough room to swing a cat, means there's enough space to flog a man effectively, a largeish room or deck.

Edit: Apparently it may be predated that with people putting cats in bottles and swinging them for a target to shoot at. But it's debateable.

 

[Jakub324]

"it's raining cats and dogs" never made a lick of sense to me. anyone care to explain?

I heard it's because of the way medieval peasant houses were built. All sorts of animals used to live in the roofs and when it rained, they often fell out in great quantities and everything went to shit. Understand?

 

[Jakub324]

Every phrase in which the word "heart" replaces "brain" or "subconscious". I know the rots of these, but they're outdated, clichéd and should change.

 

[Mr. Underson]

"Same difference". Huh?

 

[MrTiki]

Ah that does make sense actually. I didn't think of that. Thanks!

 

[Jaythulhu]

Not so much a saying or anything, but I get mightily confused when black americans call me "cracker" on ventrillo. No amount of googling has lead me to any understanding as to what the hell they're calling me. Down here a "cracker" is such a fuckin' good joke that it makes you laugh so hard you cry, spit drink everywhere and nearly suffocate from being unable to draw breath.

Any explanations as to WTF??!?! this means in yank-speak would be appreciated. Don't you lot call savoury biscuits crackers?

 

[someperson1423]

"It was in the last place I looked"

Well hopefully if you found it, you wouldn't continue looking for it...

I think it is supposed to be "It was in the last place I would've looked" as in "It was in the last place I would have expected."

"Quote, [text], unquote."

You just quoted it. Why would you unquote what you just quoted?

I always thought this one was used when having a verbal conversation so the listener would know when you stopped quoting someone. End quote makes more sense to me anyway.

"More or less"

The most meaningless expression I've ever heard. More or less...well, you've covered two-thirds of the possibilities there.

There's a lot of other one's I can't remember. Living in the Southern US, there's tons of incomprehensible expressions around.

More or less is like saying approximately. It makes more sense if they say "more or less the same"

One I heard when I was visiting relatives from the south is "Same difference". It makes sense if you're saying item A has the same difference as item B to Item C, but that is never how I heard it used.

Edit:

"Same difference". Huh?

Gah! Ninjaed :'(

 

[ExileNZ]

"The exception that proves the rule". What the fuck does that mean? If its an exception, it doesn't prove anything!

"Proves" in this case actually means "tests", rather than "proves it right".
It's like when people say "The proof in the pudding is in the tasting".
Same thing again, what it means is that it's the outcome (in this case the taste) that really tests an endeavour, not the method.

 

[Queen Michael]

"The exception that proves the rule". What the fuck does that mean? If its an exception, it doesn't prove anything!

Thank you. I've been thinking for years that it ought to be "The exception thta DISproves the rule".

 

[Pyroguekenesis]

"I've had it up to here"
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- I dunno....somewhere around that distance? I still don't get it..

 

[Pyroguekenesis]

I've never understood what it meant to "have one's cake and eat it too".

You don't understand it because that's the wrong way to use the saying. The correct way is 'You can't eat your cake and have it too'.
If someone gives you a slice of cake and you eat it, you no longer have it.

But... it's still in your stomach ... =_=;

 

[lumenadducere]

"Same difference". Huh?

This one, along with "I could care less," drive me insane. Why? Because they're not the actual sayings - they've somehow been twisted into what they are now, and what they are no makes no sense whatsoever.

"Same difference" is a combination of "same thing" and "big difference." I have no idea what smacktard decided that it was a good idea to go around saying it, but I do know that I first began hearing it several years ago and had never heard it beforehand. Somebody started it, it spread like the plague, and that person needs to be backhanded.

"I could care less" also originally was "I couldn't care less" but likewise some monkey decided to remove the negative in the sentence and yet retained its current meaning. Everyone uses it to convey "I couldn't care less" but the statement itself doesn't actually say that. Whoever first said that should be smacked as well.

 

[Merkavar]

i had a black one once but the wheels fell off.

i think this is a reply to someone saying with a whole lot of jargon. is that right? also is it a saying?

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I've never understood what it meant to "have one's cake and eat it too". I mean, what else are you going to do with a cake? A cake is functionally useless if you can't eat it. Unless, of course, you're going to throw it at someone, and I'm sure not going to do that. It's my cake! I have it and I'm going to eat it, too!

Maybe it's eating the whole cake, as opposed to just eating a slice and sharing?

 

[Sgt. Dante]

One that always gets me is 'head over heels' when referring to love... Isn't just standing about a head over heels situation?

 

[Phantomess]

"It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."

Sorry hon, but I've seen what happens to people who love and lose. It ain't pretty!

Thoroughly agree. Worst saying ever. Honestly, since when has getting your heart broken been better than not having it broken at all?