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Occasionally idioms can even allow us to incite the emotions we are feeling in someone else. Observe: Matt: Hey Jim. Are the fish biting today? Jim: Does a duck bark? Now Matt is as confused and frustrated as Jim at his lack of fishing success.  Thank you to my picture taking friends for their photos! Sometimes our idioms allow us to avoid directly answering a question or we respond in a way so clever everyone will invariably nod and agree. Amy: Hi Beth, how are you doing? Beth: As good as a pig in slop. (Or if you want to truly throw a wrench in the situation: As slow as a snail on salt.))) Amy: So, you're ready for the test on Friday? Beth: As long as the sun keeps shining and the creek don't rise. Um, okay. But questions: 1. What if the pig is OCD? Is slop still a good thing? (And snails are always slow, but isn't salt fatal?) 2. Does the sun have to shine 24/7 or just for a few minutes? And do you have to see it...or is knowledge of it enough? 3. What if the creek just barely touches the bridge? And which creek are we talking about again? Because creeks in the desert only rise during monsoon season.  The next time someone comments to me about the general deterioration of the King's English. I think I may increase their familiarity with our country's rather colorful collection of expressions...which, as the name implies, arguably broaden our ability to express ourselves. For example, how are you going to adequately express your approval of your neighbor's garden gnome is if you can't say he is as somber as a nun on Sunday and still as cute as a bug's ear? Or better yet, as dapper as a zebra with all his stripes!  Have you ever heard anyone complain that the English language, particularly in modern usage, is incredibly limited by the paucity of its vocabulary? But if this is the case, why do we have so many words/phrases for things we really don't want to spend that much time or brain space on (or shouldn't as in the case of alcohol, prostitution, and so on)? For example, rarely do we say someone died. They kicked the bucket, passed away, passed on, shuffled off this mortal coil, are pushing up daisies, took a short walk down a long pier, or didn't make it (which is really misleading...because they did indeed make it somewhere).  If you build buildings and paint paintings, why don’t you knit knittings or cook cookings? Since you quilt quilts, garden gardens, and craft crafts, why can’t you kid kids or at least pot pots?  Thank you to a friend for this snapshot! |
AuthorSame author with some fun, quirky thoughts to make you smile! Archives
February 2025
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