In the world of theatre, telling somebody “good luck” before the performance is actually considered bad luck. We say “break a leg” instead.
It’s odd, but we say it. Share your favorite vernacularisms below.
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In no particular order:
1) Jumping the shark- (usually when TV shows or movies become less interesting so they start doing outlandish things)
2) The ball is in your court- (the decision is up to you)
3) Beating around the bush
4) Best thing since sliced bread
5) There’s a method to the madness
6) To butter someone up
7 ) Not playing with a full deck – (to say someone lacks intelligence or common sense)
“Bite the bullet” is a classic and is very applicable. I appreciate “a sandwich short of a picnic” as a mild insult. I like “Bob’s your uncle” because it is silly. The alliteration in “cheap as chips” is fun and groovy. You can never go wrong with “The elephant in the room” or “face the music.” Finally, “fit as a fiddle” is among my favorites.
I do NOT like “couch potato.” It isn’t creative or rewarding to say, and its paltry value has been diluted by overuse. “Cut to the chase” is boring and uninspired. Yuck! “Go back to the drawing board” is vexatious. It irks me to no end. Lastly, “It’s not rocket science,” is out of fashion. Rockets haven’t been important since 1969.
1.) Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill
2.) Barking up the wrong tree
3.) Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
4.) Play devils advocate
5.) Spill the beans
6.) There’s plenty of fish in the sea
7.) The whole nine yards
8.) Don’t beat a dead horse
9.) It takes two to tango
10.) That ship has sailed
I like idioms based on how silly they sound in everyday conversation.
1) Not the sharpest tool in the shed
2) One smart cookie
3) Hit the sack
4) Hold your horses
5) A wild goose chase
Perhaps my least favorite is “hungry as a horse”, although I am a fan of its alternative, being “hungry enough to eat a horse”. I am also rather fond of “don’t put all of your eggs into one basket”.
Some of my favorites, in no particular order:
1) curiosity killed the cat
2) the best thing since sliced bread
3) spill the beans
4) the elephant in the room
5) play the devil’s advocate
6) at the drop of a hat
Some of my favorites:
1. Speak of the devil
2. It’s not rocket science
3. A perfect storm
4. It takes one to know one
5. Kill two birds with one stone
6. Rain on someone’s parade
7. Take it with a grain of salt
1.) See you later, alligator
2.) curiosity killed the cat
3.) bottom of the barrel
4.) Ugly Duckling
5.) Cold Feet
• Curiosity killed the cat.
• Blessing in disguise.
• Take it with a pinch of salt.
• Cherry on top.
• Call it a night.
Something that I have found no one at MSMS that I have talked to thus far has ever heard before ‘You are slower than Christmas’. Which can be easily followed up with ‘If you were you would only come once a year.’ But there is a phrase similar that reigns supreme, “You are slower than molasses.”
I don’t particularly use many idioms, but I am a fan of “through thick and thin” and “kill two birds with one stone.” These are just two examples of ones that I’ve actually used in real life.
Some of my favorite ones are as follows:
1)Better late than never
2)Hit the hay
3)Takes two to tango
4)Cost and arm and a leg
5)Beat around the bush
Most of the quips and phrases that I resonate with come from competitive events like during swim meets. Some of my personal favorites include:
Go all out
-Swim as fast as possible with more emphasis on energy expenditure rather than technique
Take a cooldown
-After finishing a set, event, or practice a few slow-paced laps are completed to reduce heart rate.
Save some in the tank
-Usually used when discussing mid-long distance events to pace the first quarter to have enough energy but mainly technique to finish strong. In meets, there could be multiple consecutive events not in order of priority. Sacrifices must be made to enhance performance in a particular event.
“Off the block”
-Start the lap or set off from the elevated diving start block at the end of the lane.
Phrases like these that require context based on a particular sport contributes to an athletic community. Whether that is swimming, lacrosse, soccer, or football, colloquialisms create a more personal connection in everyday language.
Usually I like to be different and come up with my own strange phrases that nobody understands. Every now and again I say , “You cant throw the line out without reeling it back in” when someone begins a thought but doesn’t finish it, especially if its drama. I find beauty in the confusion and awkwardness that follows it.
1) call it a day
2) a blessing in disguise
3) speak of the devil
4) beat around the bush
5) read between the lines
My favorite vernacular is “take it with a grain of salt”. Every now and then I say this when I hear something that probably isn’t true. Another one is “curiosity killed the cat”. I don’t really say this, but my mom always does. However, she normally means this quite literally, since we have 7 cats.
1) speak of the devil
2) best thing since sliced bread
3) bite the bullet
4) its not rocket science
1) A face for radio
2) Penny for your thoughts
3) A snowball’s chance in hell
4) Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
5) Flirting with death
Some of my favorite sayings are “speak of the devil” especially when referring to my friends, “no pain, no gain”, if you ever plan on achieving things that are not easy to come by, you should be ready to lose much. In addition, in spanish, my father likes to say “hechale ganas”, which is loosely translated to put in some effort. My mom very commonly uses the expression “no mames” which can translate to many things including stop joking, or used as an way to express shock.
1) Getting out of hand
2) Hang in there
3) Speak of the devil
4) Best of both worlds
5) Once in a blue moon
6) Shut the front door
The one that takes the cake for me has to be “walking on thin ice” Whenever I hear someone say someone else is “walking on thin ice” I always felt as if it was too late for that person to fix their actions until they fell through that ice they choose to stand on. This idea of mine always brought a smile to my face whenever my mother would yell it at my siblings, and a grimace when she’d say it to me.
The phrases I mainly use:
– There’s plenty of fish in the sea
– It’s not rocket science
– Speak of the devil
– Tit for tat
– Best of both worlds
– It’s time to hit the hay
– Kill two birds with one stone
Some of my favorite vernacularisms are ones that I don’t particularly use. It’s something my dad says to describe my mom in an argument: “She’s really making a mountain out of a mole hill.” Of course, he’d never say this to her face, only in individual conversations with me. I can’t help but laugh and switch sides when I’m with my mom and she says “speak of the devil” when he walks in the room.
1.) Shoot straight with me
2.) Think outside the box
3.) A loose canon
4.) I’m beat
5.) It’s water under the bridge
I would like to highlight a certain type of vernacularism quoted from the great Yogi Berra. His odd saying included malapropisms and witticisms that had some truth in them. My favorites of his include the famous “it ain’t over till it’s over”, “it gets late early out there”, “it’s like deja vu all over again”, and “you can observe a lot just by watching”. Yogi-isms are special because of how stupid and how profound they simultaneously are.
In no particular order
1.) After a storm comes a rainbow
2.) Speak of the devil
3.) Black sheep
4.) Cost an arm and leg
5.) penny for your thoughts
An Academic Weapon ( you a try-hard)
Under the weather (sick/sad)
Break the ice (break the tension)
Stabbed in the back (betrayed)
“That’s supes cray” (me unironically saying something is crazy…)
1. The grass is always greener on the other side
2. A penny for your thoughts
3. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse
4. Well look at what the cat brought in
5. Cat’s out of the bag
1. If it works, it works.
2. It is what it is.
3. That’s crazy.
4. We’ll burn that bridge when we get there.
5. Oh well….
6. A drop of water in a bucket