Phrases and their meaning

Phrases and their meaning :-

Between a rock and a hard place - a difficult situation where you have to choose between two equally unpleasant courses of action.

Break a leg - means good luck, often said to actors before they go on stage.

The elephant in the room - there is an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about.

Catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar – getting what you want by being nice.

Cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs - it is impossible to achieve something without there being bad or unpleasant side-effects.

Any more?

Be reet - everything will be ok despite everything probably not going to be ok.

Tha maunt but teet fot - You really shouldn't but I reckon you will anyway.

I need google translate for that ^^^. I've been away for too long

Pardon my French, to apologize for swearing or using “bad language.”

It's amazing how many common saying come from Shakespeare. Just a few...

Wild-goose chase - A hopeless search for something unattainable (Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 4)

The world is my oyster - I can achieve whatever I want to in life (The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2 Scene 2)

Wear my heart upon my sleeve - To expose my feelings, be vulnerable (Othello, Act 1 Scene 1)

Some good knowledge ^^^^^

Wear your heart on your sleeve - to be extremely open about what you feel and think.

Having a monkey on your back - to have a problem that you cannot solve or get rid off easily.

Devil quoting the Bible - Good things being twisted for selfish and evil purposes.

Something ain’t over until the fat lady sings - It is not over yet / there is more to the situation.

Play the devil’s advocate - to argue or fight over something just for the sake of it.

Peas above sticks....someone who is "getting above their station"

What a stuffy git - My word this chap seems to have a high degree of literary intuition.

“Well, nobody’s perfect.”Osgood Fielding III, Some Like It Hot - everyone makes mistakes

-OY- wrote:What a stuffy git - My word this chap seems to have a high degree of literary intuition.

LOL !!!!!

Stuffy – in this case, lucky.
Git – same as ‘’Get’, Northern English, idiot, so-and-so, ne’re-do-well, contemptible person etc.

Put them together Stuffy Git - a person with intuitive logical deductive skills, or fortunately favoured speculations.

Now, who does that fit?, can't just think

Ok ok I get it. I shall cease to cause you anguish with my superior vocabulary and deduction.

Get it off your chest - to confess something that has been repressed

Burn your bridges - to do something that makes it impossible to return to an earlier state or condition.

By the skin of your teeth - by the smallest possible amount of time.

Keep your shirt on -a way of telling someone to calm down

Jump on the bandwagon - go along with whatever the latest trend is

By hook or by crook...they are determined to do it, even if they have to make a great effort or use dishonest means.

Bite the bullet - to face a difficult or unpleasant situation bravely.

Like a fish out of water - feeling uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation.

Shoot yourself in the foot - to do something that harms oneself unintentionally.

A skeleton in the closet - a hidden or embarrassing secrets from the past.

Cat got your tongue - used to describe when someone is at a loss of words

Following in on from OY’s earlier post, some more Shakespearian phrases.

Every dog will have his day - everyone will be successful or lucky at some time in their life.

All that glitters is not gold - the attractive external appearance of something is not a reliable indication of its true nature.

Without rhyme or reason - there seems to be no logical reason for it to happen or be done.

The be-all and end-all - the most important part of something or the reason for something.

Brevity is the soul of wit - you can say a lot more by using the minimum of language to convey something.

Some good 'uns there young Ray................

Thanks a lot Admin, very kind of you.

It's amazing how many words and phrases Shakespeare gave to the English language.

‘What’s that got to do with the price fish?’, used to respond to a statement that is not in line with the general conversation.

A French idiom translated into English - “I have other cats to whip” - I have other things to do.

A Swedish idiom translated into English, there are variations of this ;-
“There is no cow on the ice” - it is not a real problem, take it easy.

Wigan sayings..

A is for Avtowdthi

Translation: ‘I’ve Told You’

B is for Babbiesyed Peywet

Translation: ‘A steak/suet pudding with the juice from mushy peas’

C is for Chauve

Translation: ‘To Aggravate’

How to use this word in conversation: “Stop chauvin’ me!”

D is for Dougie

Translation: ‘An affectionate nickname for the river that flows through Wigan – the River Douglas’

More to follow.....

The squeaky wheel gets the grease - an American proverb or metaphor used to convey the idea that the most noticeable or loudest problems are the ones most likely to get attention.

It’s like herding cats - an idiom denoting a futile attempt to control or organize a class of entities or things which are inherently uncontrollable, as illustrated in the difficulty of attempting to command individual cats into a group or herd.

“This ain't my first rodeo” - an Americanism meaning “This isn’t my first time” or a way of telling someone you're prepared for a situation and it doesn't offer a significant challenge to you.