Colloquial, even a bit funny. They are some of my favorites.
1. "Salt in the Devil's Eye!" - said as you gleefully throw a pinch of spilt salt over your left shoulder.
2. "Cat got your tongue?" - Are you speechless? This for silent types, or kids who won't answer questions like, "Why were you so late coming in last night?"
3. "A bit long in the tooth". This is likely from Irish horse traders but Americans use it, too. It means that a person is a little bit , er, Agéd. It can also apply to canned food, and mysterious containers of left overs in the Fridge.
4."Go out there and Break a Leg!". Said with a big, wide smile...This is from Theater vernacular, and it means, "Good Luck!". You can't say "Good luck" because you don't dare jinx a performance. Singers are sent onto stage quite another way, with "May you sing like a Pig." ringing in their ears. Beverly Sills revealed this one. haha.. Loved that Gal!
5. Someone had their Lunch handed to them, as in they lost a race, fight, or other contest of endurance or skill.
6."Brown as a Bear" But some say, "Brown as a Berry", though I do not know why. I haven't ever seen a brown berry, myself. They may exist.
7. "It's not Rocket Science." You can say that as a "demure" for a compliment about your skill set, or to demean another poor sod who failed at some simple task. This is an All-purpose, short, insult/or semi-complimentary thing to say.
8. "Easy as Pie" This is kinder than the Rocket Science one, and I prefer to use it, especially with children.
9. "It's like pulling hen's teeth." Meaning? Ok... It's really tough to downright impossible to get information out of someone. This is true, especially since hen's have no teeth. So, a very difficult if not impossible time having to deal with someone who does NOT want to do what you want them to do. Like confess to, "who ate the cookies in the cookie jar?"
10. "Let sleeping dogs lay." Just do NOT make the situation worse by asking any more questions about anything at all. Let it be.
11. "Bought the farm." OK, this means that someone either "Kicked the Bucket", or they "Fell off the Twig". Either way, you will be sending a sympathy card somewhere...
Technically that is the full Thirteen but that's sort of cheating so ....Onward, into the Breach!
12. "Knock on Wood." For Good Luck in an endeavor, or even to ward off bad luck. I've seen it used both ways...In Britain, they say, "Touch Wood'.
This is going to be controversial. I know I'm not the only one in the world who likes pigs, especially when they are cute and teeny squealers. But here it is.....
13. "It's like putting lipstick on a Pig". You can't make something as ugly as a pig into something pretty with a little gloss, like slapping a layer of paint on a house just before you sell it, or on a battered up car, as this effort changes nothing. A pig is still a pig, and a battered old car is still a jalopy.
1. "Salt in the Devil's Eye!" - said as you gleefully throw a pinch of spilt salt over your left shoulder.
2. "Cat got your tongue?" - Are you speechless? This for silent types, or kids who won't answer questions like, "Why were you so late coming in last night?"
3. "A bit long in the tooth". This is likely from Irish horse traders but Americans use it, too. It means that a person is a little bit , er, Agéd. It can also apply to canned food, and mysterious containers of left overs in the Fridge.
4."Go out there and Break a Leg!". Said with a big, wide smile...This is from Theater vernacular, and it means, "Good Luck!". You can't say "Good luck" because you don't dare jinx a performance. Singers are sent onto stage quite another way, with "May you sing like a Pig." ringing in their ears. Beverly Sills revealed this one. haha.. Loved that Gal!
5. Someone had their Lunch handed to them, as in they lost a race, fight, or other contest of endurance or skill.
6."Brown as a Bear" But some say, "Brown as a Berry", though I do not know why. I haven't ever seen a brown berry, myself. They may exist.
7. "It's not Rocket Science." You can say that as a "demure" for a compliment about your skill set, or to demean another poor sod who failed at some simple task. This is an All-purpose, short, insult/or semi-complimentary thing to say.
8. "Easy as Pie" This is kinder than the Rocket Science one, and I prefer to use it, especially with children.
9. "It's like pulling hen's teeth." Meaning? Ok... It's really tough to downright impossible to get information out of someone. This is true, especially since hen's have no teeth. So, a very difficult if not impossible time having to deal with someone who does NOT want to do what you want them to do. Like confess to, "who ate the cookies in the cookie jar?"
10. "Let sleeping dogs lay." Just do NOT make the situation worse by asking any more questions about anything at all. Let it be.
11. "Bought the farm." OK, this means that someone either "Kicked the Bucket", or they "Fell off the Twig". Either way, you will be sending a sympathy card somewhere...
Technically that is the full Thirteen but that's sort of cheating so ....Onward, into the Breach!
12. "Knock on Wood." For Good Luck in an endeavor, or even to ward off bad luck. I've seen it used both ways...In Britain, they say, "Touch Wood'.
This is going to be controversial. I know I'm not the only one in the world who likes pigs, especially when they are cute and teeny squealers. But here it is.....
13. "It's like putting lipstick on a Pig". You can't make something as ugly as a pig into something pretty with a little gloss, like slapping a layer of paint on a house just before you sell it, or on a battered up car, as this effort changes nothing. A pig is still a pig, and a battered old car is still a jalopy.
fun
ReplyDeleteWe talk funny. Do you know about Cockney Rhyming Slang. And Shakespeare invented many of the phrases we still use today... Wild goose chase, greek to me, dead as a door nail and more.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to put lipstick on a pig because the pig is more than pretty already. :-)
ReplyDeleteOne of my personal favorites is "lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut" to describe a less-than lovely type of person. Great list!
ReplyDelete