Phrases you thought you knew...
I have always until this morning thought this phrase was...
"Up and Adam"
Never understood it until I learned after being ribbed perfusely that it's
"Up and at'em"
Now that makes sense. How dumb I feel !!!
Is it batten down the hatches? That one always makes me ponder.
Snoopy Yes, it is batten down the hatches. It's a British sailing term.
For the longest time, I thought it was "tow the line" (as in a tow truck, hahaha). I got into a big argument about it once with my brother. It's "toe the line". Still not sure why but we looked it up and he was right.
Aquarius
emaxxman The song from the Rolling Stones, Beast of Burden never made sense to me. I never understood why he was singing about being not wanting to be a big suburban. However not wanting to be a beast of burden, now that makes sense. LOL
SeeintheReality How about "lickity split?" Still don't know what that means..I think it might mean getting something done in record time?
joyful I hear "not for nothing" a lot. I try to understand the meaning. Makes no sense to me.
Mr. Resident I love it when people say, "I could care less."
It's "I ***COULDN'T*** care less."
The intent is that you don't care about something and that it's impossible for you to care less.
cowgirl1 When I was a kid, I thought the saying was "for all intensive purposes", instead of the correct "for all intents and purposes"...
iPhone-imal 
Calico696 Ianimal you just taught me something, Thanks!!
I always thought some Cherie song was "rock the cash bar"
Apparently not, and still don't understand it.
Who is Cherie? The lyrics you misquote are from a Clash song, Rock the Casbah; Casbah being the walled fortress area of Algiers, Algeria in north Africa.
JRT Hehehe - emaxxman that's exactly what my brother and I found - and I still don't understand it!
My favorite misunderstood lyric is "Excuse me while I kiss this guy." We didn't believe my mother when she corrected us! And continued to sing it our way for many years.
My brother may have been right about "toe the line" but as a kid he swore up and down it was "she's got a chicken to ride." When I told him that was stupid, you can't ride a chicken, and the lyric was "ticket to ride," he told me "well, you can't ride a ticket either, can you?" Hahaha, you can tell we grew up in what was then rural Jersey.
One of my pet peeves is "irregardless". It's "irrespective", or "regardless." So many people use that it's been made colloquial.
Thanks again ianimal!
ok, so why do people say"colder than a witches tit in hell?"
Hope that doesn't get flagged, but that's what people say.
How cold could that possibly be?
I can't stand double negatives! Also, when people say "supposibly" instead of "supposedly. Ugggh, would rather hear nails scratch on a chalkboard.
Yes, "supposibly" is one of mine too.
I don't understand the witch's tit in hell. I've heard colder than a witch's tit, which I get, because witches are not known for their warmth. I've never heard the "in hell" attached, though.
i hate when people say who woulda thunk it hate hate hate that , i do like saying colder than a well diggers ass though
CARNi Ok, here's my PSA...
If something LITERALLY burns you up, that means that you are actually are on fire and burning.
If you are LITERALLY going crazy, you are actually going insane, as in take-you-to-the-asylum clinically insane.
It's my pet peeve. It literally...makes me a little bit upset, but not enough to ruin my day. Get it?
On a lighter note, the phrase "don't blow smoke up my *ss" always makes me a little uneasy. Do I want to know where it came from?
Collegeviewrider "Keep your shirt on."
What does this imply?
"I'll be right there! Keep your shirt on."
Maybe some old custom--"if you don't hurry up, I'm taking my clothes off?"
jfgi... it gets better when you look to see where they came from:
- "don't yank my chain" comes from the toilet tank car in a mine. They used a piece of chain to brake the car cuz they didn't want a prankster push. Guess what you didn't want someone to pull while you were squatting on top over the hole? Funnier thing was that mining was so important that the saying became commonplace
- knock on wood = knock wood which is what the British sailors did for good luck before they left port. There are many other alternatives for this one.
- kangaroo court - entered about the time of the CA gold rush when claim jumpers.....
- keep it under your hat = middle ages when women were forced to cover their heads and forbidden to express ideas except at home when the hat came off.
- kick the bucket, well, before "bleeding like a stuck pig," a pig is tied by one leg to an iron bar called a buchet (french); of course when it's throat is cut, it kicks the buchet. Of course, this could also be from the inverted bucket stood upon before a hanging.
- tit for tap = tip for tap = a tip is a shove, a push, a hit and the tap is a return shot.
- blowing smoke = smoke and mirrors = deception. The @ss part = the famous tobacco enema thought to work wonders with drowning and other ailments..... You were right, you didn't want to know.
mistergoogle "Hold your horses"
Don't be in such a hurry, I guess. Can't really hold a horse, unless it was a miniature, maybe.
lola 
darlughh Uggggh.....what's with Valentime's!!!! I don't get it!!!!
Also hate PERscription for PREscription!!!!
Caged Animal 
htown newbie my daughter used to sing _
(from the gilliand's isle tv show)
the theme song for her ended this way_
"here we are on Gilligan's Eyeeeeeee!"
witches.... jfgi before you ask.
witches considered cold blooded.... and lots of other stuff.
OK how about prostrate and prostate... I'm sure all of the men over 50 can relate to having a "prostrate" exam LOL .... That's when you have a prostate exam while lying down.
Probly. Is it that hard to say probably?
Why bite the hair of the dog, and not just bite the dog?
abbadabbadooooo Improper use of "I" and "me"
John and "I" went to the store.
Jane gave John and "me" an item.
Who is there? It is I. <-- sounds wrong but is actually correct.
(Ok, I'm a little embarrassed to admit this) I just heard "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins on the radio and all of a sudden it hit me. Did he just say "Oh Lord"?? For the past 20 years I always thought he said "Hold On" (without pronouncing the "H" so much)!!! LOL
Oh, Lord......
SueR SueR, after reading that Im sitting here singing that song in my head lol. Thing is, it sounds good both ways. LOL
emaxxman. You would not say He gave John and I an item. If you said it the other way..Would you say ..Gave I an item? It is Gave John and me an item.. And I went to the store.. I know it does not sound right but is grammatically correct.
Anyone have the similar link from last year? We seem to be re-visiting a lot of the same...
Lori...since '73 Christ on a pony was always an odd one for me.
Emaxxman- The couldn't care less thing is one of my greatest pet peeves. I actually corrected Governor McGreevey in a meeting at Drumthwacket once regarding that one. LOL.
Also, the I or me issue is also in my top three irritants grammatically speaking.
Greg One that irritates me is one that SOOO many people say. Example:
Try and come over. No. It's try TO come over.
He said he'd try and drive through the snow. It's try TO drive through the snow.
It's so common that I read it in the papers and hear it on the news.
Try to means what it says.
Try AND sounds like you'd try AND you will do it.
I'm always correcting the radio when I hear it.
Let's TRY TO use the correct phrase, okay?
And finally. LOSE. What's the deal with lose and loose? Did someone LOOSE a cat?
Loose weight? I suppose that's weight that isn't attached?
I just don't see why that word is so hard for so many people.
Okay. Done. And yeah, I feel a little better.
Who's more committed to breakfast the chicken or the pig? I learned early that laying eggs doesn't require that much involvement.
Even a blind squirrel gets an acorn every once in awhile. Beautiful
Colder than a ditch diggers bum in December? That's the guy on the side of the road with a cup of coffee.
That reminds me, a fancy film director friend tells teamster jokes all the time. How do you know when a teamster is dead? His coffee is cold
Emaxxman: I believe it is correct to say..Jane gave John and me a item or John and I went to the store. If you take away the name Jane in the first sentence..you would not say John gave I an item nor would you say me went to the store if you took away the name John in the second sentence. Not positive but sounds right to me. I guess I misunderstood your post.
We went from misunderstood phrases to proper english but here goes....
When I hear someone say " I gave it 200%" Huh? LOL
Firefly Ah, I see the confusion now. I should have written "Proper uses of I and me". I was saying I don't like improper uses of I and me and then proceeded to document proper uses.
We are on the same page.
My old boss used to use:
"Can't get blood from a stone" and "Rob Peter to pay Paul."
I've also heard, "Can't boil an ocean."
Good News..emaxxman..Now I don't have to say "I stand corrected" or is it "Me?"..Just kidding....
RJ Why can't you have your cake and eat it too? Isn't that what birthdays are all about? Or is it saying everyday is not your birthday?
Pacific for specific
Illinois pronounced with the silent S.
THE WEINER WHACKER!!!!!!!
When my son and his friend were about 13 years old, they would smirk, laugh, and carry-on in the backseat of the minivan on trips everytime a certain song played. From the song, (don't know the right title but maybe the Lion Sleeps Tonight, but goes like this), In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Lion sleeps tonight..........., they thought the chorus was the "weiner whacker"!!!!! Yes, only one thing on teenage boys minds!
Peggy C. How come when you want to threaten somebody you say, "I'll fix your wagon." Wouldn't it be a good thing to fix someone's broken wagon?
Because once you've eaten your cake you no longer have it, it's gone. Can't have it both ways.
Gordy One word ..."Wendsday"...OK two words "Febuary"...OK three words "realator", ah hell I just have to trow in "jewelery" and while we're at it, does anybody remember the Acame supermarket chain?
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