04/12/24 Grif.Net - "Expired" Words (part 5)
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41. SIX OF ONE, HALF-DOZEN OF THE OTHER
(about the same, so it really doesn’t matter)
42. HEARD IT ON THE GRAPEVINE
(unofficial gossip or rumor, not from telegraph or telephone line but over the backyard fence)
43. CAN’T MAKE A SILK PURSE OUT OF A SOW’S EAR
(unable to turn something ugly or inferior into something attractive or of value)
44. LOOKS LIKE A DROWNED RAT
(very wet and miserable, caught in heavy rain without protective gear; imagery of phrase translated from Latin 2000 years ago)
45. SHE’S AS CUTE AS A BUTTON
(pretty in a dainty way, but originally “cute” meant clever/smart as buttons were an ingenious invention)
46. SLEEP LIKE A BABY
(when asleep, baby is quiet and oblivious to any distraction; at 76 I sleep like a baby – toss and turn, crying, hungry every few hours, soil diapers)
47. THEY LIVE SO FAR AWAY THEY GET THEIR SUNSHINE PUMPED IN
(from deep valleys/hollows of Appalachia, referring to someone who lives way out from the main city)
48. TAKE A PUNCH
(able to handle difficult situations, especially involving physical suffering, injury, or loss)
49. YOU MAKE A BETTER DOOR THAN WINDOW
(when someone obstructs your view due to thoughtlessness, this is a tactful way to ask them to move aside)
50. IT AIN’T OVER TIL THE FAT LADY SINGS
(should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress, even if near its conclusion and fate seems irreversible – like final aria in opera)
It’s been fun to reminisce. I could keep doing this “TILL THE COWS COME HOME” but move on to other humor next week.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!"
