Here are some common expressions; we either don’t use them as they were originally intended, or we haven’t been taught their second side.
“Great Minds Think Alike”
Erm…actually! (I’m only saying this once, I swear!) The full saying is “Great minds think alike, but fools rarely differ.” While it’s true that people often come to the same conclusion, the full saying actually criticizes people who blindly agree with each other. The intended point of this saying is that using our logic and intelligence, we can think independently and arrive at different (or same) conclusions, whilst agreeing with something because we don’t know what to think may portray us as idiots.
“Curiosity Killed the Cat”
Guess what though? “Satisfaction brought it back[!]” What we believe to be our elders telling us to let go of our obsession over finding out something…is indeed them telling us to forget about it. But this expression is supposed to be about encouraging curiosity (even when it’s not the right call at the time) because you’ll relish satisfying it.
“Money is the Root of All Evil”
This one I don’t recognize…that must be because it’s missing 3 words: “The love of […]”
Hey, at least now we know what’s to blame for much of world history…
“Jack of All Trades”
Get ready for this: “Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.” Though you’re not an expert on any one matter, you should be proud of yourself for being well-rounded!
“Carpe Diem”
Ah, Latin…this is the next language on my list of languages to learn. As for this expression, it’s “carpe diem, quam minimum credulo postero.” As is any Latin, it sounds weird, and means: “pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.” Yes, be excited for the day and do as most as you can…because you never know if you’ll get another unique opportunity to do this special something.
“Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day”
“But it burned in one.” Yes, we should be patient…especially because we can ruin things a lot faster than we can make or plan them!
“The Early Bird Gets the Worm”
I’ve tried being a morning person…and fail nearly every time. At least the second part (“But the second mouse gets the cheese”) absolves me, right? This one is very funny simply because it switches from a bird and worm to a mouse and cheese, but it does suggest that being first isn’t always the best thing, and that sometimes waiting for the right opportunity can save us a lot of trouble.
“A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned”
“A penny saved is two pence clear.” This one may sound different, but it’s the real deal. Benjamin Franklin, the author of this line, was trying to teach that saving money is twice as valuable as earning it because you can also save on expenses involved in earning.
“Speak of the Devil”
Those of you who have watched or read Harry Potter know that they did NOT want to pronounce Voldemort’s name…and for good reason. People these days use it as a “Hey, that person we’re talking about just showed up!” but, “Speak of the devil, and he doth appear” was intended as a warning that if you talk about evil…it will appear. (gulp!)
“Practice Makes Perfect”
Based on the theme of this article, I’ll let you figure out if it’s supposed to be “Perfect” or “Permanent”. While it’s not wrong to say that practice leads to the best performance, the original saying also wanted to emphasize that practicing something incorrectly would reinforce bad habits.
“Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees”
My mom told me that one too many times, and too many times I felt like something was off about it. Now I know why: the phrase (or clause?), originating from the transition from gold coins to paper money, was meant to criticize that paper money wasn’t more special than gold coins. Too bad for them (and hilariously for us), we’re still using paper money today (not exactly paper, but you know what I mean).
“The Customer is Always Right”
I’ve recently played The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (no, the motions controls weren’t THAT bad), and this one shopkeeper in the Skyloft Bazaar was saying this every time I bought something. His constant enthusiasm while speaking with a customer always bewildered me…and then I find out, one night at his house, that it’s all a front. That wasn’t too surprising, but I absolutely did not expect the saying to be missing the words: “in matters of taste.” Instead of asking you to always obey the customer, the expression is asking you to not argue on their preferences. So no judging, okay?
“Lightning Never Strikes Twice”
This statement is straight up a lie: lightning can actually strike the same place multiple times. This sarcastic line was a warning that people should not be sighing in relief after surviving one disaster…another one could be looming nearby.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you already knew about some of these incomplete statements, but for those of you who didn’t…now you know!
English is an awesome language, and like many other tongues, it is funny but sad to see how translations from other languages and use over time can deform the meaning of the words and phrases we say. In 1,000 years, could the slang we use today have a completely different meaning? Hopefully not…but maybe! Right now, I’m just happy I know more about the history and some of the hidden sides of one of my favourite languages.
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