Phrases and their meaning

“Beyond the pale” - if someone's behaviour is beyond the pale, it is unacceptable.

“Below the salt”
If someone is below the salt they are common or of low standing.
The phrase dates back to the medieval table customs.
During those times salt which was a valuable seasoning was placed in the middle of a dining table and the lord and his family were seated "above the salt" and other guests or servants "below the salt".

There is a Steeleye Span album of that title.

Salt, or Sal was used as currency in Roman times..hence sal-ary, so I believe..................

Good bit of knowledge that Admin

“Procrastination is the thief of time”.
“Procrastination is the thief of time” is a saying that denotes that procrastinating, postponing things unnecessarily, causes people to waste a lot of their time.

It’s an old adage coined by the English writer Edward Young in his 1742 10,000-line poem entitled “The Complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality”, more simply known as “Night-Thoughts”.
In the poem, Young muses on death and urges us to ‘be wise to-day’ as life and opportunities can slip away quickly.

Be wise to-day; ’tis madness to defer;
Next day the fatal precedent will plead;
Thus on, till wisdom is push’d out of life.
Procrastination is the thief of time;
Year after year it steals, till all are fled,
And to the mercies of a moment leaves
The vast concerns of an eternal scene.

“Have bee in your bonnet”.
If you have a bee in your bonnet about something, you are obsessed with it and can't stop thinking about it.
This phrase is often used when you are worried or angry about something.
The origin of the phrase comes from the literal meaning of a bee getting trapped under a bonnet (a type of hat) and causing the person wearing it to become agitated and distracted.

“Born with a silver spoon in your mouth”
In English, the word ‘silver spoon’ is used to describe someone who was born into money.
The phrase is often used to say that the person does not deserve their inherited privilege.
Example: He’s from such a wealthy family, “he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth“.

“More holes than a Swiss cheese”.
Not all Swiss cheeses have holes in it, but apparently, this is what mostly everyone thinks of when we think of Swiss cheese.
So, if an argument or a story has more holes than this, it’s definitely got a lot of issues.
Meaning: Something that has a lot of faults and problems.

"Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" is an American patriotic song by Frank Loesser, published as sheet music in 1942 by Famous Music Corp. The song was a response to the attack on Pearl Harbour that marked United States involvement in World War II.

The song describes a chaplain ("sky pilot") who is asked by a group of soldiers under attack by enemy planes to say a prayer for them. The chaplain puts down his Bible, mans one of the ship's gun turrets and begins firing back, saying, "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition".

A new one on me Admin

God is very often called for in wars.

Yes, Ray, everyone wants God on his side.............

Bob Dylan sings beautifully....

A thought provoking song that is a perfect example of your 'phrases' tonight Admin.
Wasn't Bob Dylan such a brilliant wordsmith, well posted

I haven't heard that for years, it brought back a lot of memories, thank you.

Struck dumb.

To be so surprised by something that you cannot say anything.

Cant get blood from a stone

If you say that doing something such as getting information or persuading someone to talk to you is like getting blood out of a stone or getting blood from a stone, you are emphasizing that it is very difficult and that people are not being very helpful.

“Have a bone to pick with someone”.
It takes time to “pick” or thoroughly clean a bone; it involves a lot of biting and chewing and all that gnashing.
So when somebody claims to have a bone to pick with you, uh oh, you’re in for a long discussion!
Meaning: To have a grievance that needs to be discussed.

“A wet blanket”.
A wet blanket can be effective in dousing a fire in the same way that a figurative wet blanket is very effective in dampening an otherwise happy occasion.
Meaning: A person who spoils all the fun by disapproving of the activities.
Someone who dampens everybody’s enthusiasm.

I've known a few of those, Ray.....

Admin wrote:I've known a few of those, Ray.....

Likewise Admin

“By hook or by crook”.
By any means possible, in one way or another.
Origin from the 1300’s
A widely held theory is that it comes from the custom of allowing commoners to take as much wood from royal forests as they could reach with a shepherd's crook and cut down with a billhook.

There is an Irish definition also....

The well-known phrase 'by hook or by crook' is said to have originated from Oliver Cromwell's vow to take Waterford by Hook (on the Wexford side of Waterford Estuary) or by the village of Crooke, on the Waterford side............

I love that one Admin

I think yours and my explanations are very plausible.

“Beat about the bush”.

Meaning : to discuss the matter without coming to the point.
Origin: This common phrase is thought to have originated in response to game hunting in Britain.
While hunting birds, participants would beat bushes in order to draw out the birds.
Therefore, they were beating around the bush before getting to the main point of the hunt: actually capturing the birds.

“Back to the drawing board”.
Used to indicate that an idea, scheme or proposal has been unsuccessful and that a new one should be devised.

Where have I heard that phrase?...many times over the years..............

Ready for the high jump...


Said to mean that it is certain that someone will be punished for something they have done wrong.