MEANINGS BEHIND SAYINGS (Part 2)

Here's some fun for the day.......

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
What two pieces are moved in chess's castling maneuver?

BRAIN TEASER:
My scale is something that doesn't weigh in grams, ounces or pounds.    However, I may be heavy or light.  What am I?

JOKE: 
Q:  What's brown and sticky?
A:  A stick.   


QUESTION FOR THE DAY:
Why do people say they 'slept like a baby' to express sleeping good when babies wake up and cry every 2 hours?


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:

Character is like a tree.  It doesn't develop overnight.   It takes a lifetime.

MEANINGS BEHIND SAYINGS

Time to take a look at some more sayings and the history or meaning behind them.


The phrase:

KNOCK ON WOOD

It is common practice to knock on wood with the knuckles in order to try to ward off
trouble or to seek good fortune.   Most of the time, the phrase is spoken while 
knocking on wood.

One thought is that knocking on wood turns ones thoughts onto the wooden cross on which Jesus was crucified.  

Another school of thought comes from the game of tag.   Trees often afford sanctuary in this childhood game.   A kid that runs to and touches the tree is momentarily free from capture.   In the game, knocking on wood doesn't count unless the verbal announcement is made as well.    Knocking on wood in the game of tag gives safety and good luck and hence a possibilitiy of the meaning behind the saying.

So what happens if you use the lesser known phrase "Knock on a Woodchuck"?   Mainly, you just find out how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.


The phrase:

LIFE OF RILEY

Many people may envy the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  Irish stand-up comic Patrick Rooney expressed this feeling in a song he wrote in the late 1880's.

Mr. Reilly was the central character in of Rooney's song.   In the song, the character Reilly imagined what he would do if he struck it rich in California.    Though Reilly existed only in the imagination of Patrick Rooney, he voiced feelings of many and somewhere along the way the spelling was changed from Reilly to Riley.  

Having heard or read lines from the song, people began to wish they could step into the Irishman's shoes and have the Life of Riley.  

The lesser known phrase about the "Life of Miley" refers to living the life of a former Disney Channel star with a bad haircut.   

The phrase:

CAUGHT RED-HANDED

A common felony of the past involved the killing of another person's pig, sheep or cow.  Under legal codes that prevailed for generations, possession of freshly killed meat did not constitute as guilt.   Only a person caught with the blood of the animal on his hands was sure to be convicted.   It was a waste of breath to plead for mercy after being caught red-handed.   

That's slightly morbid, but in other news, if you're caught Ked-handed, it just means you have some tennis shoes in your hands.



The phrase:

RIGHT DOWN MY ALLEY

Most English cities and towns of long ago had many more narrow alleys than broad streets.  Except for the wealthy, most people were likely to live on an alley.

Asked to make a delivery or a purchase close to home, it was natural to respond, 'That's right down my alley.'    This very British expression for 'it's close to home' seemed to catch on with Americans as a way of indicating 'that is something I would like to do'  or 'that's in the neighborhood of what I like'.   

Some people also say 'right up my alley' which is the same thing.   However, if you use the phrase 'that's right down my Ali-Baba and the 40 Thieves" it means that you really enjoy ancient Arabic literature.



TRIVIA ANSWER:
King and rook

BRAIN TEASER:
A music scale

Until next time........

DO WE TREAT GUESTS BETTER THAN FAMILY?

Here's some fun for the day.......

TRIVIA:  (answer at bottom)
Who was Jimmy Carter's Vice President?

BRAIN TEASER:
The more it dries, the more it gets wet.  What is it?

JOKE:
Q:  What do you call an egg that goes on a Safari
A:  An eggs-plorer.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
If you can't convince them, confuse them.


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:

We all have setbacks in our yesterdays.  But your past doesn't define your future.   Today is a new day.


RANDOM OBSERVATION:

I heard something several years ago that has really stuck with me and I try to keep in my thoughts as often as possible.    It was an example on showing how we tend to treat our family harsher than acquaintances sometimes.   It's not because we love them less than acquaintances, that's for sure, but I think it's a human nature issue.   It becomes easy to take someone for granted the longer you are around them and the more you get to know them.   Even the more you love them.

The example I heard was how we may react differently to with acquaintances than family when something happens, for instance, spilling grape juice on the carpet.   If a guest were in our house and spilled the grape juice on the carpet we wouldn't jump all over them and get on their case.    We'd say things like 'oh don't worry about it, It's not a problem etc...."   We'd try hard to make sure the guest didn't feel bad about the spill.    If it's our family member, we tend to be more like "Look what you just did!   What were you thinking?  That'll never come out!"     Our family loves us so we feel we can 'get away with more' so to speak, but that doesn't mean we should take advantage of that or take our family and loved ones for granted.

We tend to do this with compliments too.   I'm going to pick on women for a moment because men don't often compliment other men, but women will compliment other women.   Things  like 'I love your dress.' or  'Your hair looks great." are often spoken by women to their friends and even women they don't know very well.    So my question is.....how often do women compliment their men?  Especially over time.   How many times to women say 'you look good today honey'  or 'you're my strong guy' etc.   Something I find kind of funny is when you hear the way some women talk to their pets all 'googly' and then change their tone to a more abrasive tone towards their husband or boyfriend.   Men like to hear nice things too and I get a sense that they hear less than women do.    Too many women seem to make fun of their guy or tear him down more than they lift him up.

    

For all of us, men and women, let's try not to take our loved ones for granted.    And....next time a family member spills something or breaks something or whatever the case may be, treat them with as much care and compassion as you would a guest in your home.   Relationships matter more than stuff.

TRIVIA ANSWER:
Walter Mondale

BRAIN TEASER:
a towel

Until next time.......

CLASSIC BOARD GAMES (Part 1)

Here's some fun for the day.........


TRIVIA:  (answer below)
What area of the Atlantic is said to be responsible for the disappearance of ships and aircraft?

BRAIN TEASER:
What is it that you break every time you say it? 

JOKE:
Q:  what did the leg bone say to the foot?
A:  stick with me and you'll go places. 

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:
Who is the taste tester for 'improved flavor' dog food?

COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:

Learn to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.

RANDOM OBSERVATION:

I thought I'd take a moment to reminisce on some classic board games.   Once I started googling pictures of them I got very excited.   There's so many I'd forgotten about that I grew up with.   I decided this will have to be a multi-part post.  There's too many good games to put them all in one.  I'll look at 4 games each time.   This will be part 1 with the other parts showing up in the future.   I know there are games that may be more 'classic' than the first ones I've chosen, but I started with these because I played them so often and they were special to me.   There are many others I played with a lot too & they'll show up in futures posts. 

 




SORRY (original trademark 1929)

This is one of my favorites.  Easy to learn and to play and not too complicated.   There's nothing like that moment when you get your man out of start & then you draw the 'backwards 4' card & you've managed to miss having to go around the board & your almost home.   There's also the '11' card when you switch places with an opponent which can be a fun one.   Always makes them mad when they are almost home.   

Then there's the 'Sorry' card.   You get a man out & send another one home.   To add a little fun to that you get a bell and ring it & say 'soooorrrryyy'.    This always makes me think of the Carol Burnett skit where Mama, Ed & Eunice play 'Sorry'.   A classic and so funny.   They play with dice in that one, but my board is the card version.  

EASY MONEY (introduced by Milton Bradley in 1935)

I'm not sure many people know this one, but it was a favorite that my brother and I played all the time.   It's kind of like Monopoly but it doesn't take 28 hours to play like Monopoly does.   I made up a song that I would sing to this one when I was little.   I still know the tune, sadly I can't send the tune through the blog.  "Easy Money, jumpin' all around, first your there & then your not...jumpin all around.....".  It really had nothing to do with the game though.  Easy Money had 'Give-or-Take' cards and dice.   The thing with this game ( and Monopoly too) is that I think it's more fun as a kid than an adult.   Mortgages and taxes aren't my idea of festiveness as an adult.

OPERATION. ( introduced by Milton Bradley in 1965)

What a test of nerves & steady hands this game is.   When those tweezers touch the sides....Ahhhhh!   That dang buzzer and the red nose.   There's 2 sets of cards for this game, the 'Specialist & Doctor'.  For those who haven't played for awhile & want a walk down memory lane, here's a list of the 'parts'.   They are:  Adam's Apple, Broken Heart ( that was a tough one),  Wrenched Ankle, Spare ribs, Water on the Knee (pail of water), Funny Bone, Charley Horse ( horse near hip joint), Writer's Cramp (pencil near forearm), Ankle Bone connected to the Knee Bone ( not a plastic piece but a rubber band stretched between 2 pegs.  Kind of easy if I remember correctly), Wish Bone ( left side of chest), Bread Basket ( located near stomach.  'breadbasket' is slang for stomach), Brain Freeze ( ice cream cone located in the brain)    

Great game and lots of fun memories playing it.  My brother would always make some kind of noise or wild motion right as I'd almost get ahold of a part so that I'd jump and touch the metal part with the tweezers & lose my turn.   I was an easy target. 

GREEN GHOST ( originally made in 1965)

I will usually include a spooky game in my game list because those were my favorites for some odd reason and I had a bunch of them.   I'm sure they are not as well known though.  I was just an odd duck.   Green Ghost was my favorite of the spooky games.   You played it in the dark becuase it glowed in the dark & was on 'stilts' so it was about 6 inches off the ground.  How cool is that?  

My friend Betsy and I played this one all the time.   Your spinner was a Green ghost (imagine that) and it made this loud spinning noise.  There were all kinds of spooky trees & such.   There were 3 'pits' covered by trapdoors that you opened with keys.   The pits contained plastic bones, bat feathers & rubber snakes.   I made up a song for this game.   I had a toy guitar and would sing this for Betsy whenever we played.   The cool part of the song was when I would sing green ghost & strum it on the guitar.    I won't do the entire song because it was long, but for Bets I'll do the first part

" I was walking down the street & I saw a green.....ghost....green, green, green ghost.....and I started to run...."   (I'm pretty sure Betsy may still know the next part. )

That's part 1 of the walk down board game memory lane.   More installments to come in the future.   Apps & iPads and all that jazz are fun, but nothing beats a classic board game & the memories they bring.   

TRIVIA ANSWER:
the Bermuda Triangle. 

BRAIN TEASER: 
Silence

Until next time.....

THE FORGOTTEN FRONT PORCH

I've been on vacation for a week and so the Tidbits went on vacation with me.   We are both back.

Here's some fun for the day........

TRIVIA:  
What is the capital of Sweden?

BRAIN TEASER:
How far can a dog run into a forest?

JOKE:
Q:  where do fish keep their money?
A:  in the riverbank

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Never sneeze with scrambled egg in your mouth

COMIC FUN:

TRICIA's TWEET OF THE DAY:
You don't hold a grudge, it holds you.  Holding a grudge is self-inflicted pain.  

RANDOM OBSERVATION
My daughter and niece both recently moved into some rental houses in older neighborhoods.   The thing I love about these older houses are the large covered front porches.   You can almost tell by looking at houses what era they are from.    It's sad that somewhere along the way houses stopped being built with the large front porches.

I think the general openness and friendliness of neighborhoods left along with the front porches.   Garages and garage door remotes add a little bit to that too.   There was a time when people would pull up to their house either into a carport or the car stayed outside.   That led to being more social.  Even with garages before the remotes people actually got out to open the garage door so there was little more time to be out front and socialize.  Those things combined with front porches seemed to make neighborhoods more open and friendly.  Now people in newer neighborhoods come home, hit the garage remote, pull in the garage and then hang out on their back deck with a privacy fence cutting them off from their neighbors.   Not everyone does this obviously, but more so than used to.   

(me, my brother Trent, my cousin Bobby and my cousin John-John in front of my Mema's front porch.   You can see the swing I loved in the background)

My childhood house didn't have a front porch and was built in the late 60's, so maybe that's when to front porch started to fade.   I would love when we would go visit my grandmother. (  Mema as I called her.)   I would hang out on her front porch in her wooden swing for hours.   There's something about a front porch and a wooden swing that says 'take it easy....slow down'.   The sound of the chain and the creak sound of the swing always made me smile.   The wooden swing is my favorite, but I think honorable mention goes to the front porch rocking chair too.

Many of us may not have the front porches or the wooden swings, but it's good to adopt that 'philosophy' every now and then.   Take a moment from time to time to 'take it easy and slow down'.   Oh yeah, and don't forget to wave to your neighbor.  

TRIVIA ANSWER:
Stockholm

BRAIN TEASER ANSWER:
Halfway.  After that it will be running out of the forest. 

Until next time.......

   

THE MEANINGS BEHIND SAYINGS

Here's some fun for the day............

TRIVIA:  (Answer at bottom)

When an entree is prepared 'en brochette', how is it served?

BRAIN TEASER:
A farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 in haystacks in another.    How many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in one field?

JOKE:
Q:   What did one toilet say to the other?
A:  You look a bit flushed.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember the fire department usually uses water.


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
The more you talk about negative things in your life the more you bring them in.

MEANINGS BEHIND SAYINGS:

I thought I would start randomly posting about why we say some of the things we say.   I've always found the history behind various things such as sayings and songs quite fascinating.   Let's look at a few.   Here we go....

The phrase:

"PAINT THE TOWN RED"
Many a celebrating individual has set out to 'paint the town red.'     Why this color?   One theory links red with the flames of pioneer villages set afire by Native Americans.  

A more plausible explanation suggests that fast action in red-light districts contributed to the phrase.  

Red is the color of excitement in many cultures and is also thought to be one of the reasons for this expression.      

I guess that isn't a major explanation, but a possible look into some of the reasons behind it.

If you are 'painting the town with Keds', I'm pretty sure that means everyone will be wearing cute little tennis shoes.


The phrase:

"CLEAN AS A WHISTLE"
Many an old-timer can tell you that a good whistle made from a reed or piece of wood emits a clear tone - but is easily damaged.   Even small particles of debris will change the sound of a handmade instruments.   In order to emit the pure notes intended by its maker, a whistle has to be absolutely clean.   Anything as 'clean as a whistle' is bound to be good. 

I'm going to guess that  if something is as 'clean as a whistle while you work', that it means that 7 dwarfs will want you to 'Hi Ho' off to work with them.    

The phrase:

"EXTENDING THE OLIVE BRANCH"
Egyptians began experimenting with a native shrub at least 4000 years ago.  Soon they produced varieties that yielded fine oil.   As a result, the olive came into cultivation around the Mediterranean basin.

In the Biblical story of the great flood, an olive branch was the first thing to give hope to Noah.   Soon, this symbol of good tidings was followed by a promise that the flood would never be repeated.

As a result of this incident, an olive branch became a symbol of peace and good will.   So when you want to show someone you come in peace or such, you 'extend the olive branch'

If you end up extending an 'Olive Garden' to someone, I think that means you are giving people a Spaghetti meal with an unlimited salad.


TRIVIA ANSWER:
On a skewer

BRAIN TEASER:
One.   If he combines all the haystacks they become one stack.

Until next time.......

THE TRAGEDY OF DOING NOTHING

Here's some fun for the day.......

TRIVIA:   (answer at bottom)
What country did french fries originate from?

BRAIN TEASER:  (Answer at bottom)
If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

JOKE:  
Q:  What course in school is fruity?
A:   History, because it is full of dates.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:   
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

COMIC FUN: 

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Live in such a way that if anyone were to speak badly of you, no one would believe it.

THE TRAGEDY OF DOING NOTHING

Today's post is on the tragedy of doing nothing.   I thought I'd take another look at one of the 'Villains of the Bible' to help with this topic.   I posted about Judas back in June with a topic of wasted opportunity.  There’s a lot to be learned from these shady characters.   Basically it’s a good look at what NOT to do.    They make a lot of mistakes and I can relate to that more than I can relate to having my act together and doing everything correctly.   I’m not saying these Villains are good guys and gals.....hey....they’re Villains.   But maybe by looking at where they messed up, we can avoid the same pitfalls that they fell into.   Let's look at Pontius Pilate today and see how we can avoid making the same mistakes he made.  

Pontius Pilate is best known as the Roman official that authorized the crucifixion of Jesus.    His story can be found in the Gospels of the Bible in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.    A quick gist of the story of Pilate is that Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against him but Pilate didn't stand up for Jesus.   The choice of doing nothing is what this post will be about today in regards to Pontius Pilate.  

LIFE LESSON:   It is a tragedy when we recognize the truth but fail to heed it because of our own selfish motives.

From the Scriptures we can tell that Pilate thought Jesus spoke the truth and was innocent.  Three times he said Jesus was not guilty.    However, while recognizing the truth, Pilate chose to ignore it and reject it.    Pilate tried to have everyone else make the decision for him instead of being a man of courage and standing up for what is right.   The problem for Pilate was that the issue with Jesus could cause him troubles with his job.   He had a mob wanting Jesus dead, but Pilate felt he was innocent.    Pilate's main motivation for doing the things he did was self-preservation.  He didn't want any issues with his job, so he continued to try to find an easy way out.  He chose not to take a stand for what is right.


LIFE LESSON:   It is a tragedy to compromise our beliefs and principles for the sake of being popular and going with the crowd.

Pilate made attempts to deal with Jesus several times.   He first tried to put the responsibility on someone else by sending Jesus to Herod Antipas.    When Jesus was back again with Pilate, Pilate tried a compromise to get him off the hook by allowing the crowd to choose to release Barrabbas (another prisoner) or Jesus.   Pilate was hoping the crowd would pick Barrabbas.   That way, the crowd made the choice and not him and he would still be secure in his job he could reason that the crowd made the decision and not him.  


LIFE LESSON:   Don't make excuses.   Take responsibility for your own actions and for the decisions you make.   Don't look for scapegoats.  

Pilate's next 'compromise' was to have Jesus flogged instead of putting him to death.   He thought this might appease the crowd, but it did not.   Finally, when he could see that putting Jesus to death would be the only way to appease the accusers, Pilate relented.   In doing so he also did a public 'washing of his hands' to try and still claim his own innocence in the situation.  



LIFE LESSON:  Washing your hands of a tough situation does NOT cancel your guilt.  It merely gives you a false sense of peace.


Had Pilate been a man of courage and character, he would have released Jesus regardless of the consequences.    The crowd roared and he buckled.   What would we do in a similar situation?

LIFE LESSON:   Don't look for the easy way out if it goes against what is right.   Have the courage to stand up for the truth.

Some Questions to ask ourselves.

How many times do we sit back and say nothing when we know we should speak up about something that is wrong?   

Are we more concerned with social rejection, ridicule or job security than we are concerned with the truth?

How many times do we know the right thing to do but choose not to do it?


We all face situations in life where we have the opportunity to speak up for what is right.   Sometimes in work or school, sometimes in restaurants or church....lots of places.     The tough part is that is usually not the easy way out.   We don't like to get involved.   It's much easier to sit back and think of the right thing to do than to actually do it.     We might be ridiculed if we speak up.   We might possibly lose our job if we speak up.   We might possibly lose a friend by speaking up and so often we stay silent.    I know I often wish I would speak up more than I do.   It's something I need to work on frequently.

Pilate had his moment in history and now we have ours.    What will we do with our opportunities and responsibilities?   Hopefully we won't stand aside and wash our hands of the situation as Pilate did.    Being people of courage and people of character is tough sometimes, but it's worth it because it's the right thing to do. 

Do what is right, not what is easy.




TRIVIA ANSWER:
Belgium

BRAIN TEASER:
You would be in 2nd place.   You passed the person in 2nd place, not 1st.


Until next time..........

THINGS WE OFTEN SAY INCORRECTLY

TRIVIA: (answer below)
What year did the show '60 Minutes' premier on TV?

BRAIN TEASER:  (Answer below)
rearrange the letters below to write one word.

NEW DOOR



JOKE:
Q:  Why don't clams donate to charities?
A:  They're too shellfish.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Always remember you are unique; just like everyone else.

COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
God can bring good out of any bad situation.  When trouble comes, do we complain and blame God, or do we use it as an opportunity to honor Him?

WORDS WE SAY INCORRECTLY

I thought I'd take a look today at some words that we often say the wrong way.   Not all of us do, but lots of us do, including me.



REGARDLESS - these will be in no particular order except I do feel this one is #1ish.  This is as 3-syllable word.  In other words....there is no "IR"....there is no such word as IRREGARDLESS

ATHLETE - this word has 2 syllables, not three.   I've been known to say it like  ATHUHLETE  

FIRE - it has a 'long i' for the grammar folks out there.   Mainly, it's not FAR or FIYUH

CANDIDATE - I always get this one wrong.   I say CAN-I- DATE.   The correct way is CAN-DI-DATE

LIBRARY - another one I always get wrong.   I say LI-BERRY.  It's LI-BRAR-Y

CLOTHES - lots of us like to pronounce this one as KLOZ.   Don't forget the 'th'.

ET CETERA - correctly spoken it should not sound like EXCETERA.   
It would be ET-CET-ER-A

FINGER:   Some of us Southern folks may be prone to say FANGER.  It's FING-ER.

Here's a phrase some of us may say wrong.   You don't want to say COULD CARE LESS.  That would mean that you do care, which odds are if you are saying this you are trying to say that you don't care.   The proper way to say this one is COULDN'T CARE LESS

SANDWICH - I tend to leave off the 'D' and say SANWICH, which is wrong.

PRESCRIPTION - this starts with a PRE and not a PER.  In other words, avoid saying PERSCRIPTION

PREROGATIVE - oh my.   I've said this one so wrong that I really thought it was a PER-O-GA-TIVE.    Like the above word, it is not a PER, but a PRE.  I don't think I can say this one the correct way

MAYONNAISE - I've always left off the 'o'.   I call it MANNAISE which is incorrect.   This is a 3-syllable word  ( this one makes me think of Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck words.   One of them is Mayonnaise....as in 'Mayonnaise, there's a lot of people here tonight'

If you have more than one brother-in-law or sister-in-law and are referring to all of them, the correct way to say it is BROTHERS-IN-LAW, not BROTHER-IN-LAWS.   Same with the sisters.   This is also true for more than one hole-in-one on the golf course.   It's HOLES-IN-ONE, not HOLE-IN-ONES.    

SHERBET - knock me over with surprise.  I always thought there was an 'r' in the second syllable of this word, you know, like SHER-BERT.  

TICKLISH - I wasn't overly TICK-A-LISH growing up.....wait a minute....TICK-LISH is only 2 syllables.   I've added a third over the years.


JEWELRY - This is the reverse common mistake of the word above.   Many people only give this word 2 syllables as in JEWL-RY.   Correct version is JEW-EL-RY, which I think is kind of tricky to say.  

What's the 2nd month of the year?   If you asked me I'd say FEB-U-ARY, but correctly spoken it would be FEB-ROO-AR-Y

WINTRY - speaking of February, that's a cold month.   As in WINT-TRY, not as in WIN-TER-Y   

MISCHIEVOUS - I've always said MIS-CHEE-VEE-US.   Well, that's not right.  The incorrect way that I say it sounds like a Beauty Pageant contestant.   It's actually MIS-CHE-VOUS.

REALTOR - I incorrectly give this 3-syllable word only 2 and say REAL-TOR.   Correctly spoken it should be RE-AL-TOR  (which I'm trying to say at right now and can't seem to get it)


Well, I'm sure there's lots more that those, but who could count them all?  I am realizing that I say a lot of words incorrectly.    Odds are.....I'll continue to do so, IRREGARDLESS (ha, ha) of knowing the correct way now.  


TRIVIA ANSWER:
1968

BRAIN TEASER ANSWER:

one word

Until next time.........