Contradictory Sayings

[SF0751]

In thread1256-1178437, the subject has turned to the meanings of sayings and phrases. This reminds me of something I've always found interesting - well-known sayings that appear to contradict each other. Two of my favorite pairs are:

"Good things come to those who wait." vs. "He who hesitates is lost."
"Many hands make light work." vs. "Too many cooks spoil the broth."

Can anyone add to this list?

Susan
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
- Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

 

[tsdragon]

Playing the lottery isn't gambling, it's my "retirement plan".


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[johnherman]

regardless" and "irregardless" are not opposites - they mean the same thing.

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The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[SantaMufasa]

An obvious lack of understanding of the language and the meaning of certain words is always an issue here in Utah where the locals speak "Utahnics". One of their contradictory terms which they use interchangably is "thaw" and "un-thaw". It is not at all rare to hear someone say, "I must run home and un-thaw the roast for dinner tonight."...So, what, are you planning to freeze it again prior to dinner?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[PaulTEG]

Does my heart good to see so many luminaries choosing the same retirement plans, now we just need to get everyone else to stop playing, until we all retire ;-)

Paul
------------------------------------
Spend an hour a week on CPAN, helps cure all known programming ailments ;-)

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Regardless of popular belief, 'irregardless' is not a word
in 'standard' English..





To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[2ffat]

The following is from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary for the definition of peruse:

http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=peruse

1 a : to examine or consider with attention and in detail : STUDY
b : to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner
2 : READ; especially : to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner

1a is the opposite of 1b as is attentive and leisurely

James P. Cottingham
-----------------------------------------
[sup]I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229![/sup]

 

[r937]

PaulTEG, if everyone else stopped playing, the prizes would be no bigger than, like, a hunnert bucks

i can't retire for more than a day or two on that ;-)

r937.com | rudy.ca

 

[PaulTEG]

Rudy,

By "playing" I meant that they all pick the same numbers, and we keep all of their balls out of the draw, as well as all the numbers we don't want, and just in case we have the draw "in camera" until we retire, then normal service is resumed ;-)

I should have been more explicit in my terminology, especially considering the locale

Playing isn't just about the game, it's about knowing the rules as it were

Have a good weekend

 

[johnherman]

Merriam Webster recognizes irregardless as a word.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/irregardless

-------------------------
The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[AnotherHiggins]

They cite it as "nonstandard". That means it isn't a word, but some people use it.

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ181-2886 before posting.

 

[johnherman]

What part of "There is such a word, however..." in their definition did you not understand?

-------------------------
The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

IMO, using irregardless as a word, makes the user appear stupid. I rate it comparable with uninvisible, unthaw, funner & look-it.

[Cheers]

 

[AnotherHiggins]

Let's keep it civil, here. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my previous post.

Webster's definition of nonstandard

Main Entry: non·stan·dard
Pronunciation: -'stan-d&rd
Function: adjective
1 : not standard
2 : not conforming in pronunciation, grammatical construction, idiom, or word choice to the usage generally characteristic of educated native speakers of a language -- compare SUBSTANDARD
[emphasis mine]

Language is a fluid thing. 'Irregardless' is a word inasmuch as it is used widely enough to be noted.

Turkbear originally wrote, "'irregardless' is not a word in 'standard' English". (Again, emphasis mine.)

But I feel like we are getting off-topic. I honestly don't see how 'regardless' and 'irregardless' fit into this discussion at all since (words or not) neither is a ‘saying’ and therefore they are not 'contradictory sayings'.

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ181-2886 before posting.

 

[flapeyre]

Ah, but read on:

Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

That's enough for me. I will not use that word, regardless of its acceptance.

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[johnherman]

I'm going to drop the subject irregardless of any other comments regarding said subject.

-------------------------
The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[tsdragon]

Dave: when I worked at a hotel the woman in charge of the breakfast bar, who was originally from the midwest, used the term "unthaw" all the time. There were mornings when I thought my jaw muscles would sieze up from clenching my teeth to keep from saying something about it (which wouldn't have done any good anyway).

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[flapeyre]

So, when she unthawed the biscuits, she put them back in the freezer?

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[tsdragon]

If that was what she was doing, it would have been strange, but wouldn't have driven me so crazy. She was actually taking things OUT of the freezer to "unthaw" them!

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[flapeyre]

<fingernails_on_blackboard>

http://www.ezilon.com/information/article_12991.shtml

</fingernails_on_blackboard>

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[StuckInTheMiddle]

flapeyre

That article reminds me of my younger brother who would always ask me 'can i lend you car?' to which I would always reply 'To whom are you lending it?'

A,