Figurative Language (you can bet your bootie)

[hoeffelt]

Which figurative language/sayings did you not understand for years? Today i came across a new one.... and sadly forgot it, it basically meant 'having a lot to get done/a lot going on" anybody know of any figurative terms that mean that? I get most of them that are commonly used but every once in awhile someone will mention a new one usually i can understand by context but today I told the person "i have no clue what you mean by that"

 

[Adora]

Well today my husband was on the phone and he said "when it rains it pours" I paused for a second and he had to explain that it means that when something starts a lot starts happening but I was confused by what he meant but I can understand commonly used figurative terms though I have my moments of confusion.

 

[hoeffelt]

Well today my husband was on the phone and he said "when it rains it pours" I paused for a second and he had to explain that it means that when something starts a lot starts happening but I was confused by what he meant but I can understand commonly used figurative terms though I have my moments of confusion.

Ya that ones kinda confusing too. i always hear someone say that one when something bad happens and more bad things keep coming one after anothee, in a row. Maybe its somehow related to how quickly the rain can come pouring down after it has just been sprinkling. still dont really get it though.

 

[Jute]

A Stitch In Times Saves Nine

Always seemed like an unfinished sentence to me. What precisely were these unspecified "nine" things that a stitch would supposedly save? Was my mental response for years. I finally figured out what it meant by myself.

 

[LittleLemon]

^I don't even know where to begin understanding 'a stitch in time saves nine.'

"You've got your work cut out for you." My dad said this to me once and I got angry. I was having a hard time doing my homework and I had a lot of it. I didn't get it and still don't. Well, if it's all cut out for you, wouldn't that mean it's easier?

"It's for the birds." Is that good or bad? I like birds.

I get a lot of the more common ones like "it's raining cats and dogs" just from repetition, reading, and google. I get some in context, but usually I think I'm just guessing.

 

[Nitro]

^I don't even know where to begin understanding 'a stitch in time saves nine.'

This goes back to old times in England with the original being "A stitch in time may save nine" That had to do with a sewing repair of clothing to keep the garment in service

 

[LittleLemon]

This goes back to old times in England with the original being "A stitch in time may save nine" That had to do with a sewing repair of clothing to keep the garment in service

So it saves possibly nine more years of the garment? I'm not trying to be difficult, I promise

 

[Nitro]

A single stitch in a torn garment will prevent having to add nine more stitches at a later time if left alone to continue to rip.

 

[LittleLemon]

Ah. Got it now. Thanks!

 

[hoeffelt]

A single stitch in a torn garment will prevent having to add nine more stitches at a later time if left alone to continue to rip.

ya I didn't get that one either totally makes sense now! I'm still lost with the other ones though.... A lot of times I just know what they mean by context and just replace the meaning in my head instead of trying to deal with figuring out what they mean...

 

[tree]

LittleLemon

Work cut out for you...
I guess nobody read you the fairy tale
"The Elves and the Shoemaker."

When you get your work all cut out,
then you start to put the pieces together.

You can't do the work, until it's cut out.
You can't sew the pieces together if they're
not cut first.

If your work is cut out for you, it means
you have a quantity of work waiting for you to do,
not that it has been made easier for you to do.

 

[Judge]

I'm still struggling with "Pennywise and Pound Foolish".

Oh, I know what it means. But I still manage to occasionally make that mistake never the less. Drives me crazy on occasion.

 

[Nitro]

Ah. Got it now. Thanks!

The other part of that is rhyming time with nine which makes it easier to remember

 

[Nitro]

I'm still struggling with "Pennywise and Pound Foolish".

Oh, I know what it means. But I still manage to occasionally make that mistake never the less. Drives me crazy on occasion.

Sounds like the garage mantra when building a racecar

 

[Mia]

She cut off her nose to spite her face.

Realize it's figurative, cannot get past the image of someone cutting off their nose.

 

[Jute]

I'm still struggling with "Pennywise and Pound Foolish".

Oh, I know what it means. But I still manage to occasionally make that mistake never the less. Drives me crazy on occasion.

I'm penny wise and pound foolish. I shop around to get the lowest prices for food and other low cost necessities but then squander large sums of money that I can't afford on items connected with my special interest.

 

[LittleLemon]

She cut off her nose to spite her face.

Realize it's figurative, cannot get past the image of someone cutting off their nose.

Ha! Me too! Until my therapy session today, I was under the impression that everyone had the image of the expression in their heads. I thought that NTs would understand the meaning, but still picture it in their head. I asked if she doesn't picture cats and dogs literally raining out and she said no. That would explain why the expression to keep your eyes peeled is something that makes me cringe

 

[Judge]

I'm penny wise and pound foolish. I shop around to get the lowest prices for food and other low cost necessities but then squander large sums of money that I can't afford on items connected with my special interest.

Yep. Sounds familiar. It just drives me nuts when I realize I've done that, given how often I shop for a good deal on that which doesn't cost much. Made worse if I spent lots of ga$oline in the process.

 

[Astroganga]

'Getting the wrong end of the stick' and 'having one's nose pushed out'

 

[Jute]

'Getting the wrong end of the stick' and 'having one's nose pushed out'

I've usually heard the first one expressed at "Getting the sh*tty end of the stick," which is obviously the least favourable end to have. I've heard the other one expressed as "having one's nose put out of shape" but I haven't got a clue what it means.