 Horror/Scary: October 10, 2007 Issue [#1988] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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The cave was dark and dank...
Could some one please tell me just what the heck 'dank' is? |
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WORDS MEAN THINGS...IDIOMS
Words fascinate me, but idioms like ‘drives me crazy’ have become a part of our everyday language that we hear and use constantly. Common phrases like these are widely and frequently used, have well understood and generally agreed upon meaning--that is what makes them common, but very often the widely understood meaning of a phrase seems to have nothing to do with the words that compose it. Yet, we use them, oblivious as to why, but I tell ya, I sure get a kick out of them.
Expressions, like, "Beating a dead horse." Now that’s an odd occupation.
How about, "I laughed like hell." Is that what they do in hell?
I love this one, "Do you see what I’m saying?" Uh…no.
Where do these things come from? Why do we use these phrases in our daily conversations?
I bet you’ve all heard this one, "That really drives me up the wall." What is that, a form of road-rage?
And my all time favorite, "I’m pooped." Really…well, that’s very interesting.
Of course, there are lots and lots of others:
"I’m on fire." Where's Smokey the Bear when you need him.
"I’m head over heels in love." I suppose that's better than, heels over head.
"Go figure…" That must be a math idiom.
And, "I feel fit as a fiddle." Since when is a musical intrument compared to good health?
We’ve all heard these before, but if you actually look at the phrase, it makes absolutely no sense ‘whatsoever’ (I love using that one too…whatsoever.)
Here’s a real common one, "It’ll be like taking candy from a baby." You gotta be pretty evil to do that, right?
Horror has its idioms too: Scared to death; dead ringer; dropping like flies; the Devil's advocate; flesh and blood; feeding frenzy; graveyard shift; an ax to grind; knee-jerk reaction; like a chicken with its head cut off; make no bones about it; by the skin of your teeth; and of course, to hell in a hand basket.
So, I ask you, where do these expressions come from? Who’s the genius that started saying them ‘in the first place?’ The answer is…I dunno. You can find idioms throughout literature. It’s like, they’ve always been there.
Some can be explained by a cultural movement, like "hot diggity dog", "groovey, baby", "sock it to me", and "that's bitchin." But others defy explanation, like, "I’m gonna scare the living daylights out of you." What the heck are 'the living daylights'?
How about, "I am at one with nature." Well, what if you were at two?
Here's a conversation, if taken literally, would send you to hell in a hand basket.
"Stop busting your chops! The whole thing is a piece of cake."
"I dunno, man, I'm sweating bullets. If I don't get this done, my goose is cooked. I don't like feeling I've been caught with my pants down."
"Aw, don't be such a worry wart. You've got more than you can shake a stick at."
"Well, you've heard it straight from the horse's mouth that this ain't nothing but a wild goose chase. I'm afraid they're going to take me to the cleaners--clean my clock."
"You know, when you talk like that, you're just as cute as a button."
Until next time,
billwilcox
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TRICK OR TREAT?
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And be sure to check this out. I personally think it is awesome.
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HELL IN A HAND BASKET
dejavu_BIG computerprobs 
Submitted Comment:
Excellent newsletter on writing descriptions. The examples and ideas you put forth were very helpful and will be a great asset in helping me to improve my writing ability.Thanks for a great issue.
madmanmike
Submitted Comment:
W.D.
Thank you so much for featuring "HAYWIRE" in the newsletter.
-MadManMike
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