Inspired by Miss B.....

Are there any SFers who, like me, have come across a phrase or saying that they don't quite understand?

For example, I was just in a meeting where we were told that several of our new ministerial team (I work for the Civil Service) are 'sensitised' to our work. I think this can be put down to management speak and therefore dismissed as ball hocks.

Back to the point, the saying that puzzles me (at the minute) is

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

The best explenation I can come up with is that, if you behold (love) somebody, they are beautiful to you regardless of them being butt-ugly, or a 100% stunnah, to use the tabloid vernacular.

Thoughts? Further suggestions of unclear sayings?

yeah, where does "the dogs ballcocks" saying come from, and what does it actuall mean????

I know its something to do with something being good, but it just doesnt make sense to me

Originally posted by liencam
Inspired by Miss B.....

Are there any SFers who, like me, have come across a phrase or saying that they don't quite understand?

For example, I was just in a meeting where we were told that several of our new ministerial team (I work for the Civil Service) are 'sensitised' to our work. I think this can be put down to management speak and therefore dismissed as ball hocks.

Back to the point, the saying that puzzles me (at the minute) is

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

The best explenation I can come up with is that, if you behold (love) somebody, they are beautiful to you regardless of them being butt-ugly, or a 100% stunnah, to use the tabloid vernacular.

Thoughts? Further suggestions of unclear sayings?

Its 'Ms' actually - (shades of Dick Emery there for anyone old enough to remember....) :D

"Have your cake and eat it"

Well if its my cake, I bloody well want to eat it!

ummmm the one I always struggle with is....

I missed you like a hole in the head....:huh:

;)

ummmm the one I always struggle with is....

I missed you like a hole in the head....

I think that should be I 'miss*' you/him/her/it

As in you wouldn't want an (extra) hole in your head, and so you don't miss not having one....

I think.

*had to get it right sometime! ;)

Originally posted by spyro2000
yeah, where does "the dogs ballcocks" saying come from, and what does it actuall mean????

I know its something to do with something being good, but it just doesnt make sense to me

Basically, it's something really good that you'll love.. And what does a dog love?... :)

Originally posted by liencam
Back to the point, the saying that puzzles me (at the minute) is

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

The best explenation I can come up with is that, if you behold (love) somebody, they are beautiful to you regardless of them being butt-ugly, or a 100% stunnah, to use the tabloid vernacular.

Behold simply means to perceive, either visually or mentally. This phrase just means that the person looking decides if they perceive beauty or not. The person being looked at doesn't have a say in it, nor does anyone else.

There is no universal standard for beauty. Each to their own, to use another common saying :)

Originally posted by serapis
"Have your cake and eat it"
Well if its my cake, I bloody well want to eat it!

The original phrase was 'Eat your cake and have it'. This gets round the implied timeline caused by the ordering of events. It seems natural that you can have your cake and eat it, but you cannot eat your cake and have it.

Well, you could... :gag:

"Sight for sore eyes" - What does it mean and where does it come from? Does it mean you look a state or does it mean the person saying it is pleased to see you???

The latter - that the sight of the object is a relief.

Originally posted by liencam
I think that should be I 'miss*' you/him/her/it

As in you wouldn't want an (extra) hole in your head, and so you don't miss not having one....

I think.

*had to get it right sometime! ;)

Well I've heard it in various tenses ie., I will miss you.....I missed you.....she'll miss you ......he'll miss you .....

But who knows what it is like to have a hole in the head???...It might be very pleasant.....but I ain't gonna try it.....

It just doesn't seem to mean anything to me....
:confused:

Originally posted by liencam
The latter - that the sight of the object is a relief.

Thanks :thumbsup:

A second thought occurs.

It could be to do with the fact that we all, in fact, have holes in our head at birth, which close up after a short while.

We don't miss them, or at least I don't!

Originally posted by spyro2000
yeah, where does "the dogs ballcocks" saying come from, and what does it actuall mean????

I know its something to do with something being good, but it just doesnt make sense to me

neither does "bees knees"

Originally posted by liencam


Back to the point, the saying that puzzles me (at the minute) is

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"



I thought it was 'Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder'

youve still got a hole in you head- your mouth nostrils and ears arent they all holes?

Speeed - I said extra hole!

N

I thought it was 'Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder'

Indeed it is, precisely why I don't come out to play until about 10.00/10.30.....

;)

Originally posted by nick2
neither does "bees knees" its something to do with the pollen sacks are on the bees knees, pollen = nectar=
the best,nice,lovely......i think :confused:

I always wonder why people say

'you shouldn't have'

Do they mean it? Are they just being polite? Do they not like my gift?

I never say it cos am not too sure how it's to be taken, any ideas?

There was an advert on TV for ages. I just could not get it to make sense for some reason.
'There are some things that money can't buy - for everything else there is mastercard'
I heard it again the other day, and suddenly understood it for the first time :suspect:

"That's the exception that proves the rule"

Makes NO sense whatsoever.

Originally posted by nick2
neither does "bees knees"

I heard that this derives from "business", but said in an Italian (?) accent.....

If something is "the business" it means it's perfect/ideal.... hence bees knees meaning the same.

Actually, have just googled and found this article:

http://www.arts.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/05/31/boquin.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/05/31/ixartright.html

Says that bees knees doesn't mean anything:

' "Bee's knees" is actually one of a set of nonsense catchphrases from 1920s America, the period of the flappers. You might at that time have heard such curious concoctions as "cat's miaow", "elephant's adenoids", "tiger's spots", "bullfrog's beard", "elephant's instep", "caterpillar's kimono", "turtle's neck", "duck's quack", "gnat's elbows", "monkey's eyebrows", "oyster's earrings", "snake's hips", "kipper's knickers", "elephant's manicure", "clam's garter", "eel's ankle", "leopard's stripes", "tadpole's teddies", "sardine's whiskers", "pig's wings", "bullfrog's beard", "canary's tusks", "cuckoo's chin" and "butterfly's book". '

Well, I was going to explain the beauty in the eye of the beholder but someone already has. Basically love makes you blind so it's only people who can see the beauty that see it - but that's so obvious! People who don't think you're beautiful can't see the beauty! lol

With reference to the hole in the head, (sarcasm I love it!) Someone said it might be pleasant well take a look at this:

Click here to see trepanation (http://skepdic.com/trepanation.html)

about the bloke who drilled a hole in his head. You can actually have it done surgically but he did it himself, basically when you have it done, they drill a hole in the forehead just between the eyes but further up, the skin grows back but the bone doesn't, so air can rush through to your brain, it's supposed to give you a constant high! Never tried it though!


Lottie x

Originally posted by melly
I always wonder why people say

'you shouldn't have'

Do they mean it? Are they just being polite? Do they not like my gift?

I never say it cos am not too sure how it's to be taken, any ideas?

Reminds me of H2G2:

Zaphod: "... Hey kid you just saved our lives, you know that?"

Arthur: "Oh, well, it was nothing really ..."

Zaphod: "Was it? Oh well, forget it then. ..."

Ok I hate illogic:

"Cheap at half the price"

WHy don't you just state the obvious! If its cheap, course its cheap half the price for god's sake! THe phrase of course should be "Cheap at TWICE the price".

I also don't like people who say "Pass" when you ask them a question they don't know the answer too.

Originally posted by liencam
A second thought occurs.

It could be to do with the fact that we all, in fact, have holes in our head at birth, which close up after a short while.

We don't miss them, or at least I don't!

Or that early medicine tended towards the rather questionable strategy of boring a hole in the patient's cranium in order to let out the evil spirits causing them distress. These were later conflated into the 'vapours' of 17th Century medicine. But even today trepanning is practiced in various places as a cure for certain maladies. Nowadays I guess people tend to use a sharp drill and anasthesia however, as opposed to a quick slap and a piece of flint. At least they do if you go private...

Ah. Just found Lotti's trepanation entry. You need to read stuff twice over like you need a hole in the head.

By the by:
Getting on like a house on fire. Why exactly?

And while there's a pyre burning, can I please add the dreadful late 90's business-speak travesties "interface" and "synergy"? Shut up, business speakers, you are just unworthy.

Originally posted by tim_rutter
Ok I hate illogic:

"Cheap at half the price"

WHy don't you just state the obvious! If its cheap, course its cheap half the price for god's sake! THe phrase of course should be "Cheap at TWICE the price".

I also don't like people who say "Pass" when you ask them a question they don't know the answer too.

"Cheap at half the price" only works if you put <sarcasm> tags around it ;)

Originally posted by spiffymonkey
"Cheap at half the price" only works if you put <sarcasm> tags around it ;)
Indeed. I always take it to mean, "Not really that cheap".

I remember my parents having some daft sayings like:
"where are you going dad?"..."there and back to see how far it is"

"What's for tea?"...."A run round the table and a kick at the cellar door"

"where are you going dad? (mk2)"...."to see a man about a dog"


What was all that about then?????????/:confused: :confused: :confused: