Expressions in English- or other languages

[GordW]

THe Edmonton CTV morning news has, for a while now, over a year at least, had a Monday morning segment called "Why do we say that" where the hosts give their best guess and then a Professor comes in to give the technical answer. This morning's was "as the crow flies".

You can see some of the segments here

 

[ninj]

A day late, and a dollar short. Someone who always seems to have bad luck.

 

[WhyCzar]

The Pot calling the Kettle black.

An alternative modern interpretation:

While the pot is sooty (from being placed on a fire), the kettle is polished and shiny; hence, when the pot accuses the kettle of being black, it is the pot's own sooty reflection that it sees: the pot accuses the kettle of a fault that only the pot has, rather than one that they share.

"Oho!" said the pot to the kettle;
"You are dirty and ugly and black!
Sure no one would think you were metal,
Except when you're given a crack."
"Not so! not so!" kettle said to the pot;
"'Tis your own dirty image you see;
For I am so clean – without blemish or blot –
That your blackness is mirrored in me." - anonymous

 

[paradox3]

Penny wise and pound foolish.

 

[WhyCzar]

Over The Hill?

 

[WhyCzar]

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

It's a British expression, Mrs A, that means, "And there you have it!" or "It's done!" or "The result is simple/easy"

 

[WhyCzar]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[paradox3]

Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

 

[WhyCzar]

It's better to ask forgiveness than permission.

 

[KayTheCurler]

Penny wise and pound foolish.

I used to hear - Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.

 

[Mendalla]

"Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime." Common wisdom but I have no idea where it originated.

 

[paradox3]

"Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime." Common wisdom but I have no idea where it originated.

Have seen it attributed to Confucius

 

[Mendalla]

A lot of things get attributed to him, unfortunately, but it does sound like something from the Analects for sure.

 

[Mendalla]

LOL. @GordW just reminded me of a fairly modern one over in the discussion about reconstructing the UCCan: "Shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic" meaning doing stuff but not really accomplishing anything meaningful.