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Nonsensical idioms 1

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sleipnir214

sleipnir214

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May 6, 2002
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I have had a multiyear ongoing debate with an Australian friend of mine who uses the idiom "flat as a tack". I've pointed out on numerous occasions that the salient feature of a tack is that it's sharp, not flat.

Does anyone have another example of an idiom that seems to defy common sense?

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TANSTAAFL!!
 
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There are a number of examples of idioms that appear to defy common sense, but only because they came into being when one or more of the words in the idiom or saying meant something slightly different.

Consider the well known "the exception proves the rule", and ask yourself how the heck an exception to a rule can in any way be a proof that the rule is correct? Well, of course it is because at the time the saying moved into the popular vernacular the meaning of "proves" in this context was actually "tests" - which makes a lot more sense
 
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How about telling a dancer to go on stage and "Break A Leg"

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
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There is a superstition in the theatre that wishing an actor good luck "tempts the gods" and causes bad luck, so negative expressions are substituted.

(From
Susan
[sub]You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.[/sub]
[sup]Aristophanes, 424 B.C.[/sup]
[sup]Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
 
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After listening to a seemingly unbelievable story from a co-worker who was a recent Russian immigrant, I said, "You're pulling my leg!"

She replied, "What are you talking about, I never touched you!!"

Hoc nomen meum verum non est.
 
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>"You're pulling my leg!"

Isn't that a contraction of "Pull the other leg it has bells on" which alludes to jesters?

Take Care

Matt
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
 
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If there is a reason, no Aussie has ever been able to explain it. It seems that for some reasons that have been lost in antiquity, the generic universal Australian nickname for someone with red hair is "Blue".

But the answer "Because he has red hair" can probably be translated as, "I don't know. Probably because it's customary to call someone with red hair 'Blue'."

I remember a National Geographic magazine article a few years ago that was covering life in Australia. An photographer was dispatched to a sheep station to cover the season's shearing and he noticed that standing next to a barn was an old non-functional refrigerator which had a telephone mounted inside it. When he asked why the phone was in the refrigerator, he was told, "Because it gets hot out here, mate."

This flippant answer probably translates to, "You can probably figure it out for yourself."

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TANSTAAFL!!
 
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I guess the whole pins and tacks discussion was offensive to someone (too flat? too sharp?) or just off-topic? Then can someone please enlighten me on what's the actual topic of this thread?

 
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Do you have an example of an English idiom that does not seem to make any sense?
Just an example, with no frills? Wouldn't it be boring? Are we trying to build a dictionary of English idioms? They already exist, plenty.

I thought we were discussing whether a particular one actually makes any sense and why.

 
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Perhaps I should phrase my question more explicitly:

English-language idioms can be divided into two categories: those that intuitively make sense and those that do not. Please give examples of English-language idioms that seem counterintuitive to you. I am asking not because I am compiling a dictionary but rather because I wish to foster discussion of these idioms in this forum.

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TANSTAAFL!!
 
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I would suggest that if you find a particular idiom interesting, and you wish to engage in a discussion about that specific idiom, that you start a new thread dedicated solely to that idiom.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
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I'm not sure if this fits, but moving from the Midwest to the South, I've come across many sayings that are new to me one is "Well I'll be John Brown". The other common phrases that I hear are "I might could do that" or "I 'useda' could do that", and yes the words come out useda:)

Fred
 
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I have had a multiyear ongoing debate with an Australian friend of mine who uses the idiom "flat as a tack."
American idiom of someone who is as sharp as a tack = very smart. Only one end is sharp, the other, quite flat.

Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin check out Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.

TTinChicago
 
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I am often asked to "lend a hand" but have to admit that I am pretty attached to both of my hands and am somewhat reluctant to lend it - especially when they are the same people who cannot return books that I have lent to them. [lol]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair."
--Dou
 
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Several years ago I worked with a man whose right hand had been surgically amputated mid-forearm after a bad injury.

If you asked him to lend you a hand, he'd wave his prosthetic hook in your face and jocularly reply in a fake outraged tone, "Lend you a hand? Hell, I've only got the one left!"

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!
 
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However, to "give someone a hand" (not lend) can also mean to applaud or otherwise show your appreciation. For example, an emcee, after a performance, might say to the audience "Wasn't that a great show? Let's give them a hand!"

Person 1, trying to move heavy furniture says "Hey, can you give me a hand?"
and Person 2 replies "Sure" - and begins to clap.



Susan
[sub]You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.[/sub]
[sup]Aristophanes, 424 B.C.[/sup]
[sup]Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
 
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>to applaud or otherwise show your appreciation

Interestingly, applause in the form of the clapping of hands has not always indicated appreciation; for a long time it meant more-or-less the opposite, being an expression of contempt or derision
 
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Similarly, in some countries at athletic events, whistling is the same as booing in the USA.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
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