Reader Opinions
Chef69 – (nerve-racking) April 18, 2026
I always thought it was nerve wracking.
vernon sendelbach – (beggars can’t be choosers) April 15, 2026
Sappho coined the term in 5xx bc
Anonymous – (know on which side bread is buttered) April 13, 2026
Why can’t I butter both sides of the bread? Why is one side better to butter?
Anonymous – (on the heels of) April 11, 2026
Has anyone explored the possibility of a Biblical origin coming out of Joshua 4:18?
Thom – (chicken out) April 8, 2026
Although I have not been able to find any proof for this on the internet, I think that ‘to chicken out’ has its origin in – or is at least related to – the French word ‘chicane /chicaner’, which, in business circles, applies to a business partner who does not respect or stick to previously made agreements and must therefore be regarded as unreliable: “Like he did before, he tried to chicken/chicane out of the deal”
Jack – (dog eat dog) March 29, 2026
Dog-eat-dog world—a dog is a dream symbol for a familiar compulsive thinking habit. The habit might be positive or negative.
Our thoughts are like magnets generating our experiences, so it would behoove us to replace the negative compulsive thinking habits with positive, uplifting habits, thus the purpose of mantras.
Avery Collins – (play it by ear) March 24, 2026
Most people assume “play it by ear” is just a casual, modern way of saying “let’s wing it.” But the phrase has a far older—and sharper—history. As early as 1839, it appeared in literary criticism in the Edinburgh Review, where a reviewer praised Jane Austen for writing “like one who plays by ear.” The remark pointed to her intuitive, almost effortless artistry—set in contrast to Harriet Martineau’s more methodical and analytical style.
Long before it found its way into sports talk or everyday planning, the expression carried a distinctly literary edge, quietly signaling a debate about instinct versus system in Regency-era writing. So when you say “let’s play it by ear” today, you’re echoing a 19th-century idea of creative intuition rather than simply improvising on the fly.
HwnHank – (the devil is beating his wife) March 13, 2026
Growing up in the*Aloha state, it was called “liquid sunshine”
aka: …raining rainbows outside
and: 15 minutes of rain (fame) due to tropical showers that will even start raining lightly for 5 min, then rain cats and dogs for 5 min, then gradually let up until 15 min after the rain started, it not only stops completely for the rest of the day, but the sun will be back shining bright and some of the fullest, most vivid rainbows and even double rainbows you’ll see anywhere in the world will come out to show off! If ever there was gonna be a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, it’d be on a little lava rock, in the middle of the Pacific . . . . .
🌦️ l_.
🌈🤑.
🪙 ¹-·🤙
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.
