Reader Opinions
Cathy Crabb – (pull the plug) September 17, 2021
Pulling the Plug may have originated from the North of England Plug Riots in 1842.
Here is a quote from The Rochdale Observer 13-7-1985:
… August 1842 the infamous Plug Plot Riots shook the Northwest.
The full significance of these events is still a subject of controversy but the immediate causes were a demand for higher wages and (later) a call for the granting of a Charter. The disturbances took the form of a move towards a general strike.
William Robertson describes how, in Rochdale, as in other areas, a crowd would gather at a local mill and if the premises was not immediately shut down, the plug was knocked out of the boiler “which emptied itself and put the fire out at the same time’ thus incapacitating the mill.”
Bala – (a piece of cake) September 14, 2021
I have group discussion tomorrow’s, my mam gave home work. I don’t know what is the meaning of this idiom “a piece of cake.”
Anonymous – (the devil is beating his wife) September 14, 2021
My family is from West Virginia. Somebody (maybe my parents) softened it to “the devil is mad at his wife.”
P. – (coin a phrase) September 11, 2021
On the 9/11 plane crash in PA they keep saying “he” coined (quoined) a phrase as if he made it up on the spot and its been something that black people have been saying since at least the 70s. I think the correct statement would be “he repeated the phrase.” No disrespect to the courageous people who lost their lives that day.
Nicholas "The Conformist" Bosson – (whole nine yards) September 11, 2021
Has anyone here considered the obvious example given by American Football? When driving for a down one must go the whole nine yards.
Yuvraj Kumar – (prevention is better than cure) September 7, 2021
It essentially means that it’s better to stop the things before it happens instead of having to repair it or deal with it’s consequences after it has already been done. It perfectly fills the space with the situation we are going through. As we all know, we all are going through hard time due to covid. As many countries and our country has took the decision of shutting done everything. Even every sectors got affected but behind this government has reason. At this time being socialising , shaking hands. So, keeping about some distance taking precautions , washing hands on a regular basis. So, by trying to prevent everyone from getting ill, so prevention is better than cure.
Laurie – (backseat driver) September 6, 2021
An American pickers (S10 Ep12) Mike and Frank visit vintage luxury car company. One of the cars in collection had gages in back seat for Passengers, like on dashboard in front. Descendant of Companies original owner claimed this was source of ” Backseat driver” (?)
Ramesh Joshi – (where the rubber meets the road) September 6, 2021
Rubber==tyre==vehicle.
We will see the actual result when the vehicle starts moving over the road.
Veronica Leal – (creme de la creme) September 6, 2021
NICA L is the creme de la creme cant get no better than that
Abbas Bouazar – (cut down) September 5, 2021
In all examples that I read about this phrase, nouns were used after it. Will somebody tell me if I can use a verb after it? For instance, Can I say: I’ve decided to cut down going there. Thanks
