Reader Opinions
Carmen – (blowing smoke) March 5, 2026
I thought it was being angry.
Brian Davis – (salt of the earth) February 28, 2026
There’s an old tale that those called the “salt of the earth” were descendants of ancient guardians who protected a hidden crystalline core beneath salt deposits—said to be the Earth’s heartbeat. Their honesty was believed to come from being attuned to that pulse.
Jane – (it’s not that deep) February 26, 2026
Actually, the phrase “it’s not the deep” came from UK. NOT America. Americans started using this slang term due to globalisation through TikTok hearing British tiktokers using such phrases. This is has been British slang for decades. Americans have only been using “it’s not that deep” for a few years. Educate yourself, stop giving everything to the Americans. This is British slang. Specific Black British slang.
Michael Stone – (green with envy) February 26, 2026
Shakespeare also seemed to reference this in the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene.
ROMEO:
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
And none but fools do wear it.
Anonymous – (extend the olive branch) February 23, 2026
Don’t forget the strong impact that olives and olive oil has on health and mitigating disease and aging. Offering an olive branch is the ultimate in well wishing.
Kathy – (dark horse) February 22, 2026
It’s true that some old tales claim sneaky traders dyed fast horses darker or disguised them as ordinary nags to trick odds and cash in big.
Mark – (silver bullet) February 22, 2026
In European folklore, silver was believed to have sacred and purifying powers, and some legends claimed a werewolf could only be killed with a blessed silver bullet—sometimes even made from a melted crucifix. This belief in silver as something rare and morally “pure” helped shape the modern meaning of “silver bullet” as a powerful, almost magical solution to a difficult problem.
Amy – (smell the roses) February 22, 2026
“Stop and smell the roses” echoes the ancient “carpe diem” idea — reminding us to slow down and enjoy life before it passes by.
Hannah from Utah – (dribs and drabs) February 21, 2026
The word “drib” in “dribs and drabs” is related to “dribble,” meaning to fall in small drops—like water dripping slowly. So, the idiom originally carried a literal image of something arriving drop by drop before it became a metaphor for small, scattered amounts.
Steve Jacques – (hang on) February 16, 2026
Regarding “Hang On” I just found a reference to this from an 1846 publication of Life in California by Alfred Robinson. This term is given in relation to ships. He defines it specifically on page 143 as: “Vessels, when not enabled to enter the bay at night, are obliged to keep under sail, beating to windward, for should they heave to, they would be swept to leeward by the strength of the current. This is what’s called “hanging on” [or Hang On, as he states in the sentence above]. I didn’t see this definition in here.
