Expressions you don't get

dodderangler

So today was in work and asked truck driver what's best way to go to fishin spot on the Shannon
He said take the Galway road( Liffey valley exit) and go straight and take athlone road then
I said there any turns and he said nope ' straight as the crow flies'
I dont get it

The King of Moo

When we travel, we take roads and other types of paths which have to fit around natural and artificial obstacles.

If a crow were travelling from the same point to the same destination, however, it would avoid those obstacles entirely and it would probably fly there directly in a fairly straight line.

So the expression simply means there are no turns or sizeable curves on the route. It's pretty straight.

dodderangler

The King of Moo wrote: »

When we travel, we take roads and other types of paths which have to fit around natural and artificial obstacles.

If a crow were travelling from the same point to the same destination, however, it would avoid those obstacles entirely and it would probably fly there directly in a fairly straight line.

So the expression simply means there are no turns or sizeable curves on the route. It's pretty straight.

But why a crow
Why not sparrow or hawk or pink dragon
But I see what ya mean
What bout this one
If someone is suspicious your up to somethin and ya mate says here that chap is dog wide to u

Mickey H

These expressions make no sense half the time.

Tombi!

The King of Moo wrote: »

When we travel, we take roads and other types of paths which have to fit around natural and artificial obstacles.

If a crow were travelling from the same point to the same destination, however, it would avoid those obstacles entirely and it would probably fly there directly in a fairly straight line.

So the expression simply means there are no turns or sizeable curves on the route. It's pretty straight.

I have to admit, that might have been the best response I've read on Boards.

Sir Pompous Righteousness

I never got "fuck me pink".

The King of Moo

dodderangler wrote: »

But why a crow
Why not sparrow or hawk or pink dragon
But I see what ya mean
What bout this one
If someone is suspicious your up to somethin and ya mate says here that chap is dog wide to u

I think a crow is used simply because it's such a common bird in Britain. I can't help you with the origin of the other two phrases (no help on Google and I've never even heard of "to be dog wide to..."). The difficulty with English idioms is that their origins can become obscured, their origins are complex, often based on specific situations, words from other languages, or bizarre amalgamations of various factors, or else phrases which originally made sense see their form shift gradually until they're phrases with little relation to their original forms.

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

I have to admit, that might have been the best response I've read on Boards.

It's my day job, nothing special .

Mickey H

Sir Pompous Righteousness wrote: »

I never got "fuck me pink".

Fannies are pink on the inside. Go figure.

opinion guy

This trend for using the word optics with regard to politics/public opinion.

Makes me sick. Optics are things you shine light through or pour drinks thru. that's it. Full stop.

rannerap

Well if its out of sight its out of mind, so how exactly then does absence make the heart grow fonder?

Wee Willy Harris

the highbrow one. with the darting eyes, like I don't even know

Fromthetrees

Going forward is one of Mehole "you can't smoke there" Martins favourites, I get why he is saying it, the past is irrelevant, let me criticise what's happening now, ignore the fact my party ruined the country forever, pretend I wasn't a senior minister for the decade leading up to the the sh1tstorm, going forward let's forget about everything going forward.

We're all going forward, we haven't got a time machine, going forward we might invent one but currently we don't have one so at least going forward for the time being we will only ever be going forward.

im invisible

:rolleyes:
^ that one

B.A._Baracus

"All is fair in love and war"

We all know the expression.
By definition it means "When it comes down to it, all is fair" ... But lets look at some examples. What if I:

• Screw a friend out of money.
• Sleep with my so called "friend's" partner.
• Use or manipulate a person.
• Collect the social while working / or abuse the system.
• Not pay tax.
• Steal
• etc

I've heard so many people say "all is fair in love and war" when rationalising their actions. But never when its someone elses actions!

ruthloss

"I could'nt give a Fiddlers" Exactly what possession or particular part of a Fiddler's anatomy are we speaking of?.

mikemac1

Was chatting to a group of girls in the pub and they invited me back to their house party

In like Flynn :cool:

I like the saying but no idea how it ever started.
Just bizarre

Pherekydes

Huh?

ruthloss

Pherekydes wrote: »

Huh?

Me too., Huh?

The King of Moo

mikemac1 wrote: »

Was chatting to a group of girls in the pub and they invited me back to their house party

In like Flynn :cool:

I like the saying but no idea how it ever started.
Just bizarre

I heard (haven't confirmed with Google though) it's a reference to Errol Flynn and his lothario ways. Any young female co-star he'd come across, he'd put the moves on and "be in there" in a shot. And was generally successful, apart from with, famously, Olivia de Havilland.

So if you jump into something eagerly, you're "in like Flynn."

Bassfish

'He has a chip on his shoulder' what the hell does that even mean?

Talib Fiasco

The whole 'I could care less' thing when they really mean 'I couldn't care less'....drives me insane when people use the former.

gobnaitolunacy

Stepping up to the plate, pushing the envelope, etc etc.
A lot of Americanisms came in that people pretend they know the meaning of.

That one in Newstalk in the mornings still uses that Celtic Tiger era 'going forward' expression which drives me berserk.

Squ

I haven't a Bulls Notion what ye are on about..

yeppydeppy

Sarcastic much?
Criticise much?
Americanisms much?

Annoying much?

Plazaman

"You can't have your cake and eat it". What fúcking good is having a cake if I can't eat it? What else should I do with it, cut holes in it and wear it like shoes?

Pherekydes

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Stepping up to the plate, pushing the envelope, etc etc.
A lot of Americanisms came in that people pretend they know the meaning of.

That one in Newstalk in the mornings still uses that Celtic Tiger era 'going forward' expression which drives me berserk.

+1.

Especially when they mix up sporting metaphors:

"It's third and long [football] and all the bases are covered [baseball]..."

gobnaitolunacy

The worst one I heard was someone referring to 'the white elephant in the room!'

Where To

yeppydeppy wrote: »

Sarcastic much?
Criticise much?
Americanisms much?

Annoying much?

Have a lot to bother you much?

splendid101

Bassfish wrote: »

'He has a chip on his shoulder' what the hell does that even mean?

Back in the day the sailors were allowed two blocks of wood from the ship for use in their own fires.

Eventuallyit was reduces to one chip which they carried down the gangplank on one shoulder. They weren't happy about only being allowed one chip, that's where the phrase comes from.

maryb26

"like the cuates egg, good in parts" Not a clue what that means.

Sergeant

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

Big Nasty

'Smoke & Daggers'

Duggy747

"Play it be ear"

I used to always think it was "Play it by year"..............which, in my mind, makes more sense considering the phrase is about how things will go when a situation develops or as time goes on.

I dunno, feels like I've been living a lie all these years....

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

have your cake and eat it too... what's the ****ing point in having a cake if you're not going to eat it

are there people who buy cakes just to keep them in the fridge for a few weeks?

Mr Benevolent

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

"All is fair in love and war"

We all know the expression.
By definition it means "When it comes down to it, all is fair" ... But lets look at some examples. What if I:

• Screw a friend out of money.
• Sleep with my so called "friend's" partner.
• Use or manipulate a person.
• Collect the social while working / or abuse the system.
• Not pay tax.
• Steal
• etc

I've heard so many people say "all is fair in love and war" when rationalising their actions. But never when its someone elses actions!

Uh, if it's not love it's war. Simple.

"Leave eh bleedin ouuuuu"
Like "the cat is bleeding, put him outside"....?

username123

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

have your cake and eat it too... what's the ****ing point in having a cake if you're not going to eat it

are there people who buy cakes just to keep them in the fridge for a few weeks?

If you have your cake (ie, keep it in the fridge) then you cannot also eat the cake, because then the cake will be gone.

You cannot do both things with the cake. You can either eat it, or keep it in the fridge (to eat later) but you cant do both together.

**** me pink - when people have sex they develop an inverted triangular sexual flush on the body. On white people, its pink.

username123

dodderangler wrote: »

If someone is suspicious your up to somethin and ya mate says here that chap is dog wide to u

Ive never heard of dog wide, but a common Dublin expression is 'bang wide' - Ive no idea where it came from.

Is it something to do with an animal approaching and keeping a wide berth because they are nervous and are looking at things from all angles?

Pompey Magnus

"The worm has turned"

Where was the worm going, why did he turn around and who was watching it and thought the action so profound that they decided to turn it into a expression?

admiralofthefleet

'think outside the box' and other bollox spouted by HR types

endofrainbow

*as the man say's* ...WHICH man?

*giving it socks*

markesmith

"Die dog or sh*te a license!"

Never got this one. Might never have been uttered outside my particular corner of Offaly though!

Savage Tyrant

Duggy747 wrote: »

"Play it be ear"

I used to always think it was "Play it by year"..............which, in my mind, makes more sense considering the phrase is about how things will go when a situation develops or as time goes on.

I dunno, feels like I've been living a lie all these years....

It's a musical term. Really good musicians can replay a bit of music without the written notes and by just listening to the piece.
So the term "play it by ear" came to mean doing somethin on the fly or without any pre-planning or preparation.

byronbay2

MCMLXXV wrote: »

'Smoke & Daggers'

I think you're mixing your metaphors - the expressions you're referring to are "smoke and mirrors" and "cloak and dagger".

gobnaitolunacy

byronbay2 wrote: »

I think you're mixing your metaphors - the expressions you're referring to are "smoke and mirrors" and "cloak and dagger".

It's a Bertie-ism.

phil1nj

maryb26 wrote: »

"like the cuates egg, good in parts" Not a clue what that means.

There's suppossedly a story about this that a curate was invited to dinner by the local priest and the meal served consisted of a boiled egg. The curate ate the egg (which was supposedly rotten). When asked by the priest how it tasted, the curate, eager not to offend or insult the senior priest, replied that parts of the egg were very good. Hence the expression "a curates egg" which means that overall something is terrible or lacking but certain parts of it are good or have merit - usually used when talking about movies, books, plays, albums or other such bodies of work.

Plazaman

"Zip up your mickey". Ah good old Twink *


* By good I mean mad auld bítch and by old I mean when Moses parted the red sea, she was on the other side washing clothes.

Greyjoy

splendid101 wrote: »

Back in the day the sailors were allowed two blocks of wood from the ship for use in their own fires.

Eventuallyit was reduces to one chip which they carried down the gangplank on one shoulder. They weren't happy about only being allowed one chip, that's where the phrase comes from.

Not quite, the phrase originated from the shipbuilders who were permitted to carry out wood from the shipyard balanced on their shoulders. The rules were changed so that they had to carry the wood under their arms instead of on the shoulder. That change made the wood harder to carry so this meant the builders could only take a much smaller block.

Some of the shipwrights persisted in carrying the wood out on their shoulders so someone with a "chip on their shoulder" came to mean a person who felt persecuted or had a grievance.

fincollins

Jesus wept





What the hell does that mean?????

kylith

The King of Moo wrote: »

When we travel, we take roads and other types of paths which have to fit around natural and artificial obstacles.

If a crow were travelling from the same point to the same destination, however, it would avoid those obstacles entirely and it would probably fly there directly in a fairly straight line.

So the expression simply means there are no turns or sizeable curves on the route. It's pretty straight.

'As the crow flies' is generally taken to mean 'cross country'*, not paying any attention to roads at all so, imo, the op is kind of right to be confused because it would seem that the lorry driver is advising that they start climbing over ditches and stuff.

*"It's a 5 mile trip to work by road, but only 3 as the crow flies".

--Kaiser--

maryb26 wrote: »

"like the cuates egg, good in parts" Not a clue what that means.

From a cartoon published in Punch magazine:
"Bishop: "I'm afraid you've got a bad egg, Mr Jones";
Curate: "Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!"