Reader Opinions
Stephen M – (weather the storm) April 24, 2021
Your origin seems incomplete (and I don’t have it to give). Saying British people like to talk about weather, so several idioms feature it, is an observation at best, and unnecessary. What would be useful would be explaining the use of “weather” here as a verb, not as a single or collective noun.
“Weather the storm” is linguistically similar to “sport the tennis” or “animal the dog”, but you don’t hear people saying that they “will have to animal the dog”.
(I’d be suspicious if they did!)
It’s this usage that should be explained, i.e. endure and get through.
A good website can weather some criticism.
Emy – (knock socks off) April 24, 2021
I said to somebody who wanted to do something, “Knock your socks off.”
It was a figure of speech to mean enjoy yourself! Have fun!
They were offended. My goodness sake. They did not understand.
Will – (I could eat a horse) April 23, 2021
I believe horses were considered so close to family that humans would use the expression to highlight their desperation for food. It’d be like eating one of their own family members.
Anonymous – (twenty-three skidoo) April 22, 2021
Gotled – a nickelodeon was an early version jukebox.
Judith Elizabeth Catterall – (low hanging fruit) April 22, 2021
I first read the phrase in The Color Purple—lynchings. Billie Holiday song—Strange Fruit—Lynchings. I am, perhaps mixing up the phrases.
Simon – (chip on shoulder) April 19, 2021
@Hayden Of course it wasn’t as we all thought, and of course the Brits had to create a super convoluted expression. “The joys of” learning English, “as it were”.
Jeffrey Dean – (bucket list) April 19, 2021
What is it called when you do something on your bucket list?
V.F. Denisi – (face the music) April 16, 2021
This most likely comes from the book of Daniel when the three Hebrew boys knew they were going to face unfavorable consequences when the music was played and they would not bow down to the image created by Nebuchadnezzar.
There are many idioms that come from the Bible originally, such as “the writing’s on the wall”, etc.
Michelle R Lange – (zero hour) April 14, 2021
Agreed, Freya, about the message. The example should should say ‘terrorism’ though.
CHRIS BUSENKELL, BS History – (keep your friends close and your enemies closer) April 14, 2021
Too bad it’s off-mark, significantly. What it means must be taken by who said it and when. Sun Tzu, a Chinese military advisor/strategist/general during the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, some historians believe the book was a composition written and edited over several hundred years by many authors. Sun Tzu advises that it is wise to keep your friends and enemies close because these are people it is important to know and understand. If you want to be victorious in battle you should know your enemy better than you know yourself so you can always be ahead of him and wise to what he may be planning.
