Reader Opinions
Tim – (mind your ps and qs) March 13, 2025
I was told that it refered to pints and quarts in a place of drinking and if you were told to mind your p’s and q’s it was because you were possibly getting too loaded or were sticking your nose into someone else’s business.
Frank – (hard cheese) March 10, 2025
“Aw. geeze” is not derived from “hard cheese”. It comes from “Oh Jesus”. Just like the cockney “Cor blimey” derives from “Lord blind me”
LWE – (kickback) February 25, 2025
Pushback meaning confused with kickback. Pushback is a reaction to a perceived or real injustice. Relaxation meaning related to kicking off one’s shoes, putting feet up and relaxing with family or friends after tiring day of work.
Roger (C- in French 1) – (pardon my French) February 18, 2025
No unfortunately not. You need to have gotten a C- or better in French 1 in order to use the phrase.
willie level Jr. – (eye candy) February 18, 2025
I am writing poetry and I am writing a poem about eye candy, how am I going to make it substantive?
Zsuzsa – (the devil is beating his wife) February 12, 2025
In Hungary we have the exact same saying. it is very surprising that this imaginary travelled to such different places, it would be interesting to know why and how (well maybe it was more common in the middle ages Europe but how did it make it to Southern US out of all places)
Tracy – (on the dot) February 9, 2025
As a kid in the 1960’s I grew up with my father using that phrase. I figured that “Dot” referred to his wristwatch as 12, 3, 6 and 9 were just “Dots” on his watch, hence “On the dot”. Could the phrase originate from dots being used instead of numbers? IE: in the military, I’m sure some commander’s watches had dots instead of numbers and the phrase “On the Dot” was coined and was taken to mean “At the exact time”. This makes more sense than just tell us what the meaning is, not saying this was the origin of “on the dot”. Others as well as myself are fascinated with the origins and not just the meanings. Only uneducated idiots need phrases explained.
Alfie – (when life gives you lemons) February 6, 2025
Does life really give you lemons?
We bioengineer them from sour orange and citron, so why make lemonade when you can make a better fruit.
Windy Houser – (dressed to kill) February 5, 2025
It seems it could have originated in ancient times. In Proverbs 7:6-23 King Solomon tells a tale of a young man swept into sin by a promiscuous woman and this encounter would “cost him his life”. She was “seductively dressed and sly of heart”, literally dressed to kill (spiritually speaking) as she was seeking someone to seduce into her bed while her husband was away.
mike – (can’t hold a candle to) February 1, 2025
Immediately I thought about candling (hen) eggs to check for development and/or fertility. However I could not find any relationship between “can’t hold a candle to” (inferior) and a “bad” egg when candled. Still, it seems to me that there might have been some reference since the practice of “candling” is to choose the “superior” eggs over the “inferior” ones – a comparison of a similar nature.
