Reader Opinions
Mark – (take with a grain of salt) November 15, 2022
“Take it with a grain of salt” implies that a grain of salt has more value than the claim being made. Other idioms clearly place value on salt, so I don’t know why the official explanations don’t mention this.
Nikki – (call a spade a spade) November 7, 2022
I once read the phrase in an old Nancy drew book, but she said, “let’s call a spade a spade and not a pointed digging implement.”
Ahona – (like a cat on a hot tin roof) November 7, 2022
I think as school goers we learnt “monkey on hot bricks.”
Jay Gilpatrick – (when pigs fly) November 2, 2022
Pigs like mud too much. They’ll be the last species to ever fly.
Anonymous – (you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs) October 26, 2022
M Roine,
I would bet the bulldozing of farm land, pesticides, and tilling of soil kills more animals to feed you than the entire population of people on carnivorous diets.
Markeith Caddell – (Great Scott) October 23, 2022
Corruption by will of Germans to change God bless for their own sakes self man. This was wrong of them to do so I feel.
Wile E. Coyote – (raining cats and dogs) October 15, 2022
I heard cats n dogs would climb up in the ceiling for warmth at night and when it would rain on the thatched roofs it would run the cats n dogs out of the rafters in the ceiling.
Tendai – (turn the tables) October 12, 2022
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “it is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 21: 12-13
This is where I believe the idiom “turning the tables” originates from.
Jesus had just triumphantly entered the city of Jerusalem heralded as a king. And his first display of authority was to return true worship to God’s temple. This revolutionary move of reclaiming the temple changed everything for Jesus and his relationship with the Jews.
It was his only violent act that eventually lead to his death and mankinds salvation.
A true turning of the tide.
Surendra Singh – (break a leg) October 3, 2022
I feel that ‘Break a leg’ means ‘Give your Best’. This is a type of an encouragement which the near ones shout to their fellow/s who is/are going to take part in a completion. Perhaps this originated from a dance competition. Whoever danced for a longer period on a stage he/she would win. The dancing for a longer period means staying on your legs for a longer period and go on dancing till your legs give way, in other words, till your legs break. Hence ‘Break a leg’
Rex Mundi – (take with a grain of salt) October 1, 2022
Horse hockey! I’m taking this origin with a pinch of salt or a pinch of grains of salt or whatever.
Pliny the elder huh?
Boy that really is somethin ain’t it folks?
