Reader Opinions
Rick – (over and out) July 25, 2021
Correct. As suggested above, the phrase is indeed self-contradictory and is therefore never used by “proper” radio communicators, despite widespread misuse in TV and movies.
Prateek – (Sentences) July 24, 2021
Operative sentence
Dorothy J Kaminski – (the devil is beating his wife) July 24, 2021
My grandmother, born 1894, emigrated to US 1914 – would say it but in Polish. I always thought it was a Polish superstition.
June – (old school) July 23, 2021
I recall watching very old boxing footage, may have been a Jack Dempsey fight so around the 1920’s. The commentator said something along these lines.
“He won’t give up easy, he is of the old school”.
Very old terminology that has survived 100+ years
Ugo Megwas – (Herculean task) July 20, 2021
Initially, I heard a story regarding herculean task as from British origin where by a man was required to till a large area of land over night. with unbearable consequences if he failed. he had to get many oxen and tied torchlight to their trailers, realising they were afraid of the light. it made the oxen run and work with unusual speed till they finished large area of farm overnight, which under normal circumstances they could not have done. the man who did it was Hercules- and so came the herculean task.
Brian – (a picture is worth a thousand words) July 14, 2021
The information about the historical origin: In fact, Arthur Brisbane (not Tess Flanders) is quoted in saying “Use a picture. It’s worth a thousand words”. There are two articles (within a month of each other) that report this phrase. The first uses quotation marks which, after tracing whom the journalist is referring to, in fact does refer to Brisbane. The second is written by Brisbane who uses the phase unquoted. Both articles corroborate with additional quotations attributed to and given by Brisbane, and in reference to the same event.
Ian – (home is where the heart is) July 14, 2021
I agree with the idiom Home Is Where The Heart Is because it does not matter, where I am, or with Whom I am sharing, my heart always is going to push me to the person that I love the most, because there is my happiness and my everything.
Anonymous – (catch-22) July 12, 2021
The following is an excerpt from Ralph The Heir, Anthony Trollope, 1871:
But then that quandary have become very a lot smaller to his sight whilst it become surmounted,—as is the character with all dilemmas; and the alternative predicament, which could were remedied had Polly regularly occurring him, again loomed very huge. And as he looked again at the matrimonial catch 22 situation which he had escaped, and at Polly status before him, comely, healthy, and sincere, such a nice armful, and so womanly withal,—so best a lady if only she changed into no longer to be judged and sentenced by means of others beside himself,—he nearly thought that that catch 22 situation became one that he may want to have borne with out complaint.
Robert Lindschmidt – (bend over backwards) July 12, 2021
When I hear, “bend over backwards”, I think of the act of kissing the Blarney Stone. One has to contort oneself backwards in order to kiss the stone.
Perry – (cutting edge) July 12, 2021
The art of sword-making employed the ability to put the finest steel edge on the most used edge of the blade.
