Reader Opinions
Maggy – (the devil is beating his wife) January 22, 2023
In my country, Dominican Republic I always heard people saying: a witch is getting marry, anytime there was a sunshower. Lived in NYC and never heard the expression the devil is beating his wife nor the witch is getting marry.
Gilbert – (raining cats and dogs) January 20, 2023
It’s really weird someone told me about it so I thought that maybe cats and dogs are playing outside 😳
Lin Yo – (you can’t take it with you) January 19, 2023
The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 49 about the rich, “For when they die, they will carry nothing away.”
Ramon Cardona – (have a ball) January 15, 2023
Sorry but the use of a made up word “Britisher” casts doubt as to the content.
Marion Brodie – (until the cows come home) January 13, 2023
When I was much much younger, I’d be sitting and talking with my mom, and that’s when she’d say something about getting on with whatever before the cows came home? I do remember some of her funny expressions, BUT SHE LOVED MUSIC HALL and, reading about a lot of funny expressions that were used by comedians from that time, i.e., prior to and during the 2nd World War. I’m supposing that’s where it originated from!
WordNerd – (like a chicken with its head cut off) January 10, 2023
My mother’s family raised chickens, and she attested to having seen this phenomenon. This was a common saying among her generation and her elders.
A linguist/writer of the yesteryears – (Punctuation) January 5, 2023
🤔 Are most commenters on here non-native-English speakers? Sincerely I hope said comments are not representative of the modern youth, as I have often feared: may have been educated void of writing. I’ve talked to some of the gen Z folks who see writing as a skill needed not for any applications other than social interactions online, and that makes me sad. As our phone dictates words to us, and we enter a world lacking printed-type and AI software which has potential to essentially render writing ‘pointless’. Hopefully, this is not the case, but rather a pessimistic exaggeration of their behavior. One can only hope…
Robin Dicey – (dot the i’s and cross the t’s) January 2, 2023
Crossing T’s is a naval expression. I found this in Wikipedia under the story of the Confederate ship, the Alabama.
Tom – (up a blind alley) January 1, 2023
I never considered “up a blind alley” to mean doom or failure. To me, it has always meant that the result of a decision is unknown. Perhaps because due to circumstances it is impossible to estimate the outcome, or maybe because the person didn’t do their due diligence before acting on their decision.
Tom – (twenty-three skidoo) January 1, 2023
Article states that “23” and “skidoo” were individual slang terms but does not explain what 23 meant on its own. Anyone know?
