Questions tagged [popular-refrains]
A saying is something that is said, notable in one respect or another, to be "a pithy expression of wisdom or truth." (Bernice Randall)
354 questions
11
votes
10
answers
5k
views
What's the opposite saying to "A broken clock is right twice a day"?
A familiar proverb runs:
A broken clock is right twice a day.
is a saying used to express that even an entity which is typically wrong, would sometimes be right accidentally.
Is there an inverse ...
- 221
4
votes
4
answers
730
views
Taking small amounts till there's nothing left
I'm trying to find an idiom or metaphor to describe "everyone takes a small part of something there'll be nothing left".
For example everyone taking a grain of sand till there's no beach ...
2
votes
1
answer
460
views
Alternative metaphor to "building the plane while flying it"?
I work in an organization with a strong management consulting culture and one of the popular metaphors that people like to use is that we/they are "building the plane while flying it." The ...
- 209
0
votes
2
answers
131
views
Dots or Points Between Numbers [duplicate]
I would like to know how native speakers pronounce the dots or points between numbers, such in book chapter subdivisions, contract clauses, and so on...
8 - Eight
8.1 - Eight point/dot one
8.2 - Eight ...
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Idiomatic alternative to “going to Canossa”
The metaphorical expression to go to Canossa means:
To humble oneself, as in “he went to Canossa when he reversed his policy”.
The saying refers to an event that happened nearly a thousand years ago:...
- 5,826
-1
votes
1
answer
185
views
What is the saying blank 101? [closed]
What is the general saying of "_____ 101"?
It can be used for university studies, for example "physics 101" but there is a standard general saying (which can sound a little ...
- 9
2
votes
2
answers
612
views
Are there sentimental connotations to the phrase "all grown up"?
I tried some internet searches and couldn't get a clear take on this.
If someone makes a comment along the lines of "Look at Chris, all grown up", do most people interpret that at face value?...
- 123
1
vote
0
answers
135
views
What does "in a quiet pool" mean?
While I was watching a a True Crime documentary, the narrator said:
The young pastor, his wife, and their three daughters looked happy and
had everything they needed to live a comfortable life ...
- 19
2
votes
2
answers
10k
views
What is the origin of “give it the beans!”?
There’s a phrase, possibly specific to British English, to “Give it [some/the] beans!” when referring to a task that somebody should put more effort into. It’s similar to “Give it some welly!”.
What I ...
- 121
7
votes
2
answers
497
views
Is there such a thing as a new adage?
I was brought up to understand that a proverb that is described as an adage is, by virtue of its longevity, old. Take, for exapmle, the Old Testament book of Proverbs, some of which date back ...
- 1,039
2
votes
0
answers
541
views
Which work of Shakespeare "oftentimes better than a master of one" appears in if it it accredited to him? [duplicate]
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one is apparently accredited to William Shakespeare.
Just to clarify - I mean the FULL quote, not just 'Jack of all ...
- 151
0
votes
2
answers
226
views
Word/term/saying that encapsulates the notion of something being ethically convenient
Lately I've encountered a few situations in discussions where I feel like there may be a word that is either more succinct and/or perhaps more wry than just 'ethically convenient'.
An example sentence ...
- 2,115
0
votes
1
answer
212
views
"The boil must be lanced if it is to heal"? [closed]
In Final Fantasy 16 (FFXVI), which has a medieval-ish setting, C says that "The boil must be lanced if it is to heal". I'm...not sure I understand the phrase.
For context, C is in a ...
- 161
1
vote
3
answers
181
views
Is "that's what you get" likely to be used sarcastically/to rub something in?
Take this phrase:
"That's what you get."
The wording implies that it could be used both positively and negatively, à la 'what goes around comes around.' That is, if I do something good, I '...
- 111
3
votes
5
answers
558
views
A word or a phrase for aphorism-like rules?
I'm writing something about sets "life rules" like The Rules - The Way of The Cycling Disciple. I want to relate a proposed "set of rules" to existing "rules/sets of rules&...
- 798