Reader Opinions
River – (kickback) June 9, 2025
When I think of the term “kickback” in the way you described for leisurely resting, I have always used it in two words.
“Hey, Joe, do you want to kick back at my house on Sunday to watch the game?”
— or —
“Oh, yes, Sally. All the kids are here, and decided to kick back in the pool rather than going to the movies.”
As far as bribes or favors, I have always used the one word, “kickback”.
Have I been wrong these last 60 years of my life?
Rizputin – (break a leg) May 27, 2025
The correct origin of “Break a leg” comes from centuries old theatre – a time before clapping hands had become our way to applause. Prior to this, the standing audience would applaud by stomping their feet, whilst the seated audience couldn’t stomp as passionately due to being sat down. So instead, when the time came for the most uproarious applause, patrons held on to their chairs and bounced them up and down, chair legs slamming against the floor thunderously. During exceptionally thunderous chair slamming, it wasn’t uncommon for a leg to break from the chair -hence, to encourage an exemplary performance one used the expression “go on and break a leg”
Saeed Elfiki – (beyond the veil) May 26, 2025
In addition to the fact that the original sources of the “Beyond the Veil” terminology , we can easily find more signs of it through most of other spiritual and religious theories starting the olg Egyptian visions about the “Afterlife Journey”
In addition to to the residents/ chosen Creature living” Up There . . Beyond the Skies . .” , only the first man, Adam , his wife , and the the Devil . . !? Where able/ permitted, to get some ideas about what’s Beyond the Veil . .
Thanks for the in lightning . .
Dr. S. Al Fiqi – PhD Economics and Political Sciences.
Cairo, Egypt . .
Dewi Bermingham – (raining cats and dogs) May 22, 2025
I’m really surprised people don’t know why we say “raining cats and dogs”! My mother would say “raining stair rods”. When it rains very hard, the rain can look like long rods. Cockney rhyming for “stair rods” is obviously “cats and dogs” ! All this talk about gods and the Greeks is silly nonsense 🙂
Richie – (goody two shoes) May 22, 2025
Goody two shoes can have good meanings and bad can’t it
Dave Anscombe – (as nice as ninepence) May 11, 2025
James Howell’s English Proverbs of 1659 records the proverb, “As fine as fippence, as neat as nine pence,” so it may derive from this.
Fippence is short for “five pence.”
I grew up in the twentieth century, and the only version I heard was “as right as ninepence,” whose meaning was similar to “as right as rain.”
Sandra – (cast pearls before swine) April 20, 2025
Was praying tonight and the passage do not cast your pearls before swine. I put it in search bar and this and a lot of other had the same image. Trump and what he represents is so evil!
Aaron Schoenman – (when pigs fly) April 17, 2025
Jeffrey A. Carlton shouldn’t be part of literary quotation. His “works” bear no greatness nor notoriety to the extent of majorly known quotations throughout human history. He is a bad example to use here, now in a LOCAL discussion of your state’s politics, maybe. Here there is no reference as to whom he is and frankly his quote doesn’t entice me to care, just sayin.’ To truly speak English well, you also must know your audience, and thou hath misseth the mark.
Patrick Boland – (come again) April 15, 2025
The word “IDIOM” can also be used as a difference in music, history – correct?
Reenster – (the devil is beating his wife) April 15, 2025
Lived in north central Oklahoma and when I was growing up, stayed with my grandparents a lot. Once when it rained and the sun was out, my grandmother said, “The devil is whipping his wife.” I never asked her what that meant. Today, the sun is shining here in Santa Fe, NM, and it is raining, so the devil must be whipping his wife.
