Home› General Chat
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options

Old sayings which make NO sense

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
Such as...

'Dressed to the nines'
'Driving me around the bend'
'Cutting your nose off to spite your face'
'Happy as Larry' - who's Larry?!
'Hasn't got a leg to stand on'
'Sandwich short of a picnic'
Two shakes of a lamb's tail'
'It's awful close in here!' - meaning it's really hot.
'It is when you think about it'

What're the other ones?
«1

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    'Stitch in time saves nine!'
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Believe you me
    It'll all come out in the wash
    Not if I see you first
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bri-namite wrote: »
    Not if I see you first

    That actually makes sense. It means, I don't like you, so if I see you before you see me, I'll avoid you.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Like white on rice
    Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you break your legs, don't come running to me...
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Being a linguistic student, I can understand the original meanings of half of these (as i'm sure can Thunderstruck and king of glasgow). That still doesn't mean they make any sense, though :p
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote: »
    Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

    That one makes sense.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote: »
    That one makes sense.

    Oui, just what I was going to say as well. :D

    There are more of those that do make sense to me as well, and then some that don't.
  • Options
    **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Educate us Doofay!

    I never know if I've misheard this one, but when I used to work in a shop, half the old customers used to say "It's cheap at half the price." when they thought they had a good bargain. I don't get it.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    **Helen** wrote: »
    I never know if I've misheard this one, but when I used to work in a shop, half the old customers used to say "It's cheap at half the price." when they thought they had a good bargain. I don't get it.

    I read that (knowing the phrase well) and thought, well its obvious, and then realised no, its rubbish really but its quite a common phrase.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

    A little bird told me - I know that makes sense but why did they choose a bird? Is it because pigeons used to be used to send messages?

    Curiosity killed the cat - Is there actually a story behind that?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    squeal wrote: »
    A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

    Well that makes perfect sense, if you are out hunting actually having one bird in your hand is a lot better than two in a bush (not caught).
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Boil means !

    let the cat out of the bag

    you passed by the skin on your teeth - bleugh wtf?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote: »
    Well that makes perfect sense, if you are out hunting actually having one bird in your hand is a lot better than two in a bush (not caught).

    :thumb: Thanks for clearing that up for me :)
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    JustThinking..X wrote: »
    let the cat out of the bag

    *puts hand up* Miss, miss i know that one.

    Pigs used to be sold in bags at the market and some of the more unsavoury dealers would put a cat in the bag instead.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    JustThinking..X wrote: »
    Boil means !

    just said that out loud to my boss and apparently its 'by all means' .... :o
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    JustThinking..X wrote: »
    Boil means !

    you passed by the skin on your teeth - bleugh wtf?

    Please tell me you didnt think 'boil means' was a phrase!

    You havent got any skin on your teeth, therefore its expressing the opinion that you got through by a very very small margin, get it?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think these old phrases actually make a lot of sense- much better than the crappy slang that gets thrown around these days such as 'y'know what I mean', 'I'm not being funny, but...' and 'at the end of the day...'
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    JustThinking..X wrote: »
    just said that out loud to my boss and apparently its 'by all means' .... :o

    :lol: that just made me laugh out loud! I was wondering what you meant by boil means, did you really think that was a saying?! haha bless you.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    1983 wrote: »
    Such as...


    'Cutting your nose off to spite your face'

    'Sandwich short of a picnic'

    'It's awful close in here!' - meaning it's really hot.
    'It is when you think about it'

    those make sense
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    **Helen** wrote: »
    Educate us Doofay!

    I never know if I've misheard this one, but when I used to work in a shop, half the old customers used to say "It's cheap at half the price." when they thought they had a good bargain. I don't get it.

    the proper saying is "its cheap at twice the price" to mean its a bargain, but to say its cheap at half the price means its not really that much of a bargain at all, but some people have got the two phrases muddled up
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my favourite is "im not as green as I am cabbage looking"
    to mean Im not as stupid as i look. Green meaning stupid - and looking like a cabbage - well I guess thats self explanatory.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    FireyFirenze wrote: »
    :lol: that just made me laugh out loud! I was wondering what you meant by boil means, did you really think that was a saying?! haha bless you.

    :o hehe
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    JustThinking..X wrote: »
    just said that out loud to my boss and apparently its 'by all means' .... :o

    hahahaha :D :thumb:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Quit acting the wag would ye! :confused:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    JustThinking..X wrote: »
    just said that out loud to my boss and apparently its 'by all means' .... :o

    Lol bless...

    POTW?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This should hlep:

    http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/

    Btw:"Boil means", haha, I'm gonna say that from now on.
  • Options
    **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    SuzyCreamcheese wrote: »
    the proper saying is "its cheap at twice the price" to mean its a bargain, but to say its cheap at half the price means its not really that much of a bargain at all, but some people have got the two phrases muddled up

    A ha, I gathered it was muddled but couldn't think of the proper phrase - doh!
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    "Keep your eyes peeled" :yuck: It sounds disgusting too.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Namaste wrote: »
    "Keep your eyes peeled" :yuck: It sounds disgusting too.


    Oh I forgot about that one. It always grossed me out so much too!
Sign In or Register to comment.