Idioms Explained
Viewing comments for Chapter 24 "Even More Fun Idioms! "Fanstorians explain the backstory of idioms
45 total reviews
Comment from Pantygynt
Needless to say I have heard or seen most of these before but a weigh in a manger was new and great fun. 'Buckle down to it' has always intrigued me and what is the connection between that and pulling up one's socks? Great fun.
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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Needless to say I have heard or seen most of these before but a weigh in a manger was new and great fun. 'Buckle down to it' has always intrigued me and what is the connection between that and pulling up one's socks? Great fun.
Comment Written 20-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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I loved the weighing one, I'd never heard that one before. It's funny, did you know we are the only ones who have Christmas Crackers? I looked it up after being asked what they were, and discovered they were invented by Tom Smith, a sweet-maker, in 1845 after visiting Paris and seeing their bon-bons wrapped in paper with a twist at each end. That's how this wonderful British tradition began! There you go, another lesson in history!! Lol. Thanks, Jim, I'll try to have another chat before Christmas. Love and hugs, Sandra xx
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Many years ago I was sent off to do the shopping, with a few days to go before Christmas, by my then partner, who had prepared the shopping list.
Christmas dinner was fine, and we had fun pulling the crackers, but nothing to eat with the cheese!
We had split up by the time New Year came round!
Actually I am a hopeless present wrapper and most of my gifts seem to come in parcels that resemble crackers (not the sort you spread the cheese on).
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LOL! You know you can get most wrapped for you in stores and on Amazon now? (that was a bit of advice in case you meet someone new!! xx
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Fat chance of that I don't think. But thanks for the advice.
Comment from Pam (respa)
-These are priceless, Sandra.
-You do such a great job with artwork.
-I enjoyed these idioms and
knew most of them, but not the origins.
-Who knew that one came from the Bible?
-My favorite artwork is with over the hill!!
-Now that I know what Christmas crackers are,
I can appreciate the jokes.
-My favorites are the bauble one and the last two.
-These are actually in the crackers?
-I think you are on to a new medium.
-Hope you do some each season; you
have a great sense of humor!
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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-These are priceless, Sandra.
-You do such a great job with artwork.
-I enjoyed these idioms and
knew most of them, but not the origins.
-Who knew that one came from the Bible?
-My favorite artwork is with over the hill!!
-Now that I know what Christmas crackers are,
I can appreciate the jokes.
-My favorites are the bauble one and the last two.
-These are actually in the crackers?
-I think you are on to a new medium.
-Hope you do some each season; you
have a great sense of humor!
Comment Written 20-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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Yes, these are inside the crackers alongside a Christmas paper crown, thought to be about the three Kings, a little toy, something like a magic trick, keyring or some other gift small enough to go inside, and the actual cracker-snap. Two people take hold of the ends of the crackers and pull. The cracker-snap goes off like a firework, and whoever gets the largest part will have the contents. We all end up one and they are just a bit of fun. They are a totally British novelty, brought to us by a Londoner Tom Smith in 1845-50. I never knew that but looking it up for you I've learned a lot, too!! Lol. The story is a lot longer, but I'll leave it there. I might use it one day.
Thank you, Pam, I'm really pleased you enjoyed these, and the jokes. I'm going to keep these and ask them at Christmas, I can just see Eric shaking his head and saying 'Duh!' I'm glad you like my sense of humour, I take after my mother, she was as mad as me. :))
And a humongous thank you for the sixth star! You have been my shining star all year!
I wish you and Robert and Rob, a fabulous Christmas, and a brilliant virus free 2022. Love and hugs, Sandra xxxx
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You are very welcome and deserving of the stars and review, Sandra. I get my sense of humor from my dad and his mother! Thanks for sharing about the crackers, and you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a very Bright, Happy New Year!!!
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Thank you, Pam. I'm looking forward to having my first Christmas in our new home with all our family around us. (Unless Boris cancels it again!!) xxx
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You are welcome, Sandra, and I imagine you are very excited, as you should be. How far away are you from each other? I hope it is a wonderful time with your family.
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They both live in the next village. They haven't left the village since we moved there when Phil was 5 years old, and Chris was 2. After their dad died, I was determined to stay so they didn't feel too much was changing in their young lives. They both have their own homes in the village, and I live in the village next to them. 10 minute drive away. I couldn't be happier! xxx
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That's not far at all. I don't know what would prevent you from getting together if everyone is vaccinated even if there were restrictions put in place.
Comment from lyenochka
"a weigh in a manger" !! That's funny! Yes, I did know about the Job 19 reference. If you read my entry on Idioms from the Bible: Job, you'll see there are a few more from that same chapter.
Figures that the Spartans would have such "stiff upper lip." They were horrible to children.
In American English, we say "walking on eggshells" which sounds less painful that the broken glass.
Thanks so much for another entertaining post, Sandra!!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!!ð???ð??µâ?
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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"a weigh in a manger" !! That's funny! Yes, I did know about the Job 19 reference. If you read my entry on Idioms from the Bible: Job, you'll see there are a few more from that same chapter.
Figures that the Spartans would have such "stiff upper lip." They were horrible to children.
In American English, we say "walking on eggshells" which sounds less painful that the broken glass.
Thanks so much for another entertaining post, Sandra!!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!!ð???ð??µâ?
Comment Written 20-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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I must go and read your Bible idioms, Helen, Roy told me there were many more in the Bible, especially in Job! I'll have to get my Bible out and read the book of Job again. It's fascinating discovering the origins of these idioms, they'd make excellent quiz questions, and a wonderful book to buy! Go for it!
You have a wonderful Christmas, my friend, and let's hope 2022 is a much better one than this one has been and the covid virus is wiped out. Love and hugs, Sandra xxx
Comment from Jay Squires
You have some good ones here, Sandra. This is kinda fun. I'll have to come up with some of my own Americanisms. One I remember from some time ago I had heard from a friend who was stationed in Great Britain and he told me the Brits use the term "to knock someone up" meaning to (I guess) knock on their door, to visit someone. As you know, though, in America it has a specific meaning of getting a woman pregnant.. And the next one, I don't know whether to mention or not (Oh hell with it): Don't the British have the idiom "to keep your pecker up," and, while I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that (I believe it's something about keeping your cofidence up), in the US, pecker has a very specific meaning of a man's penis.
When you are around this person you must 'tiptoe on broken glass' to make sure you don't say the wrong thing. [I haven't heard of this one, but the closest one to have the same meaning is "to walk on eggshells".]
As I say, this is very entertaining, Sandra, worthy of my six!
Merry Christmas, my dear!
Jay
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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You have some good ones here, Sandra. This is kinda fun. I'll have to come up with some of my own Americanisms. One I remember from some time ago I had heard from a friend who was stationed in Great Britain and he told me the Brits use the term "to knock someone up" meaning to (I guess) knock on their door, to visit someone. As you know, though, in America it has a specific meaning of getting a woman pregnant.. And the next one, I don't know whether to mention or not (Oh hell with it): Don't the British have the idiom "to keep your pecker up," and, while I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that (I believe it's something about keeping your cofidence up), in the US, pecker has a very specific meaning of a man's penis.
When you are around this person you must 'tiptoe on broken glass' to make sure you don't say the wrong thing. [I haven't heard of this one, but the closest one to have the same meaning is "to walk on eggshells".]
As I say, this is very entertaining, Sandra, worthy of my six!
Merry Christmas, my dear!
Jay
Comment Written 20-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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OMG! I will never say, 'keep your pecker up' ever again!! LOL. Yes, here it means:
If you tell someone to keep their pecker up, you are encouraging them to be cheerful in a difficult situation. [British, informal.
To knock someone up, also means to get a woman pregnant, but you'd hear more, 'she's in the pudding club,' or 'she's got a bun in the oven.' I've not heard any of them for a long time now.
Thank you so much, Jay, for this wonderful, fun review and the six stars!
It's been quite a year what with the covid and other dreadful things happening, but you have entertained me so much with your wonderful script stories. I hope we get a lot more next year.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous 2022! Love and hugs. Sandra xxx
Comment from Cindy Warren
These are fun. I've been hearing them all my life, but I didn't know where they came from. Tho I thought the term for tiptoeing around an impossible person was 'walking on eggshells.'
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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These are fun. I've been hearing them all my life, but I didn't know where they came from. Tho I thought the term for tiptoeing around an impossible person was 'walking on eggshells.'
Comment Written 19-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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Thank you, Cindy, I'm glad you enjoyed my bit of fun. Have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy 2022. Love and hugs, Sandra xxx
Comment from aryr
This was indeed intriguing, Sandra. I found that I loved all of the ones you listed. Definitely interesting. I enjoyed the fact that you listed a large variety of ones that I was already familiar with. This was a great job, very well done and greatly enjoyed. And I loved the various pictures you included. Hugs, smiles and blessings my friend.
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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This was indeed intriguing, Sandra. I found that I loved all of the ones you listed. Definitely interesting. I enjoyed the fact that you listed a large variety of ones that I was already familiar with. This was a great job, very well done and greatly enjoyed. And I loved the various pictures you included. Hugs, smiles and blessings my friend.
Comment Written 19-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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Thank you, Alie! It's nice to learn where they came from, but the one from the Bible really threw me. How wonderful was that? Have a brilliant Christmas, my friend, and a happy, very healthy 2022. Love and hugs, Sandra xx
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You are so welcome Sandra. That was great and even inspirational. You and your family as well have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Years for 2022, luv, hugs and blessings.
Comment from MissMerri
What a delightful read! I enjoyed every bit of this, from the origin of some very familiar idioms to the never-before-heard Christmas jokes. How clever this was! And not a typo in sight, either. Have a very Merry Christmas and a fun-filled New Year.
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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What a delightful read! I enjoyed every bit of this, from the origin of some very familiar idioms to the never-before-heard Christmas jokes. How clever this was! And not a typo in sight, either. Have a very Merry Christmas and a fun-filled New Year.
Comment Written 19-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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Thank you, Adonna, I'm delighted you enjoyed these. I didn't realise how many there were, it was quite a surprise. I'm glad you liked the jokes, I'm going to use them for a Christmas quiz for my grandchildren! Have a wonderful Christmas, and a happy, healthy 2022. :)) Sandra xxx
Comment from Janice Canerdy
You made made good choices of examples for this piece, some I'm sure people use having no idea where they came from--but knowing what they mean or imply. I catch myself saying things like, "I've got too many irons in the fire" around young people who probably have never known about irons that didn't plug into an outlt[et!
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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You made made good choices of examples for this piece, some I'm sure people use having no idea where they came from--but knowing what they mean or imply. I catch myself saying things like, "I've got too many irons in the fire" around young people who probably have never known about irons that didn't plug into an outlt[et!
Comment Written 19-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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I never knew where they came from and it was such fun finding out! Thank you so much, Janice, for reading mine. I have heard the one about too many irons in the fire, I must see where that one came from. :)) Have a wonderful Christmas, and a healthy, happy, 2022. :)) Sandra xxx
Comment from Monica Chaddick
This was really cute! I love how decorated it was. That really made it more interesting. I saw that you had the phrase about tiptoeing on glass. Have you ever heard "walking on eggshells"? It means the same thing. I had never heard the one about the glass, though, just the eggshells.
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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This was really cute! I love how decorated it was. That really made it more interesting. I saw that you had the phrase about tiptoeing on glass. Have you ever heard "walking on eggshells"? It means the same thing. I had never heard the one about the glass, though, just the eggshells.
Comment Written 19-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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I'm glad you enjoyed these idioms, I've had such fun researching their origins, and some have been so surprising! Yes, we have that idiom, of walking on eggshells, but I'd not heard of the one with the broken glass, and it seems no one else has. There are hundreds that are slightly different, and I wondered if some started off with a different meaning. Thank you, Monica, for reading these. Have a wonderful Christmas, and a fabulous, healthy 2022. :)) Sandra xx
Comment from artisart4u
I was reading on a site, and it said that idioms vary by country, region, and period. They draw readers in and awaken their senses. When you think about an idiom, you do sort of change for the better once you figure it out.
I like your pictures that go along with each idiom and the jokes as well.
Good luck with your writings.
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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I was reading on a site, and it said that idioms vary by country, region, and period. They draw readers in and awaken their senses. When you think about an idiom, you do sort of change for the better once you figure it out.
I like your pictures that go along with each idiom and the jokes as well.
Good luck with your writings.
Comment Written 19-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 20-Dec-2021
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You really do, and they are such fun to learn. The older ones make me think more, but I still love to figure them out. Thanks so much for this lovely review, and all the stars, I'm so pleased you enjoyed all in my post. Have a wonderful Christmas, and a very happy, healthy 2022. :)) Sandra xxx