Yes, yes I DO want you to get the most out of this class, out of college, out of life in general... BUT... That's not what this post is about.
This week's prompt is a little different. Consider the common expression "milk (something) for what it's worth"/ "She's milking this situation"/ "Go for it baby, milk it!"
Our contemporary speech is littered with verbal phrases/ metaphors/ parables etc. whose roots are agrarian and yet we use them in non-farm-related contexts.
Your assignment is:
1. Find 2 idiomatic expressions whose origin is in agriculture ("don't count your chickens til they're hatched") OR that has a relationship to the environment (to "turn over a new leaf"). My hope is that you will come upon these in your everyday life. You'll find that to find TWO is actually a piece of cake. The trick is in #2:
2. You are not allowed to repeat someone else's phrases. Check the blog before you post. I'll be making a list so that we can all "reap the benefits" of a concerted effort. This is both to see what you are able to come up with as well as an incentive not to procrastinate; the "early bird" will have it easy.
3. Once you have your two expressions, restate in your OWN WORDS what you think they meant when they came about (imagine in what context they were used- Ask yourself Who, What, When, Where, Why and How).
4. Do some research (wikapedia is fine) to verify your speculation (#3). You might be surprised at the origin of certain sayings. For ex."Come Hell or high water" comes from cattle ranching, in particular "the driving of cattle to railheads in the mid West in the latter part of the nineteenth century. In 1939 Paul Wellman published a book with the title Trampling Herd: the Story of the Cattle Range in America in which he wrote: “ ‘In spite of hell and high water’ is a legacy of the cattle trail when the cowboys drove their horn-spiked masses of longhorns through high water at every river and continuous hell between.” (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-com1.htm)
4. Put them in the context of today's use. Discuss how it differs (if at all) from its source. Give your reasons for why you think the expression caught on in vernacular setting and why/ how the meaning evolved.
These instructions may seem long, but the ultimate result will be fairly quick compared to other weeks. As you all have already started seeing differently (i.e. thinking about your role in relationship to global systems, noticing what you previously overlooked, etc.), now I'm asking you to listen carefully to what you and others say. Our cultural heritage is rich in remnants of our past and they are not only important to informing our future choices but in teaching us to pay attention to our roots.
ps. (as if this wasn't long enough) I just wanted to mention that I'll add bonus points to anyone who surpasses the minimum requirement of coming up with 2 idioms or who comes up with idiomatic expressions from other languages (with the corresponding translation and cultural explanation, of course) -Reed
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When it comes to idiomatic expressions, the following two, although common, are my favorite. These two expressions have very simple meanings yet are still fun to use.
ReplyDelete“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”, is phrase that is commonly used today. In my own opinion I believe that this means not to lie out all your options, and assume that they will work out in your favor. (Having only one possible solution) For example, when it came to trying to figure out housing situations for next year, I somewhat made my plans on who I was living with based primarily on the fact that I would be using this summer to travel abroad and take classes for credit, instead of traveling during my junior year. All of “my eggs” were in this “basket”, until I later found out that traveling abroad over this summer might not be an option for me, and therefore would mess up all of the prior arrangements I had already made. I was too quick to make arrangements based on the people I would be living with, and didn’t think of other options, incase this plan didn’t work out. Hence, “all my eggs were in one basket”.
Another phrase commonly used today is “It’s raining cats and dogs”. I contend that this phrase refers to the hectic state, and heavy downpour, during a storm. It refers to a “state of confusion”, which is often how one may feel during a terrible rainstorm. It is believed that in 17th century England, when it rained heavily, dead cats and dogs in the street would float in the water traveling down the streets. It is also a possibility that this reference has something to with the relationship to witches flying through the sky with their cats, and the relationship between dogs and their association with Odin, the god of storms. This is a fun phrase I have used since I was a little girl, its how I got past my fear of thunderstorms… I looked for the humor in it, and realized its just “raining cats and dogs!”
Money doesn’t grow on trees.
ReplyDeleteThis phrase came from the fact that paper, is a product of trees, but actual money is not. It goes through a process to become money, and is not just the first piece of paper that comes out of breaking down a tree. Even though it does, come from trees, it is not as simple as picking up a leaf. So when this phrase originated, I can assume that people who were in the tree chopping business came up with the phrase, that money is not as available as other products from trees. I searched for the exact origin of this phrase, and was unable to find a consistent answer, but I believe that my assumption is probably on the right lines of what they would have thought when coming up with this idea.
Today, we put this phrase in the context that money doesn’t just grow continuously. People have to work for it, and there is not an unlimited supply, as there would be of leaves that grow off trees. I think it first started as being a way to discuss the actual origin of the money and now turned into a statement describing what money symbolizes. Wealth and power don’t just come from the sky. They take effort and time to grow and build up!
At the end of my tether
I would have thought that this phrase was similar to breaking someone’s last straw. The last piece of patience that they have. They are at the end of the line, and are going to burst. This phrase actually came from a tether, which is a rope. As the game “tether ball” has been focused on using this rope, that’s what a tether actually is. Tethers were used to restrict grazing animals by tying one end around their neck, and the other to the ground, somewhat like what a leash is meant to do today, but more severe and painful. To hold them back from what they needed to do.
Today this phrase can be used in many contexts. “If she doesn’t understand this in a second, I will explode, I am at the end of my tether.” It is used to show frustration and indicate a point of anger that will throw one over the edge. As opposed to it being to restrict freedom as it was used on the animals, it is more focused on gaining peace and freedom after this anger you have. After someone is at their last straw, they want things to be better and calmer. It is not to restrict freedom from people, but in a way it does because someone is holding in such anger. It is definitely an interesting phrase that can mean many things, but I think it is less literal now than it had been at its origin.
Sources:
http://clatters.tripod.com/idiom.htm
The phrase, “we’ll be here until the cows come home” seems to have originated with cattle farmers having to wait for cows, who are slow moving animals, to come in for feed. This phrase probably became popular around the 1800s or earlier, when many people lived on farms, and knew how their animals behaved and how everything ran. They knew it took a long time for cows to move across the land and therefore related it to everyday things. Ergo, the phrase was born. “The Phrase Finder” says that “[the phrase] was certainly [originated] before 1829 though, and may well have been in Scotland”, due to its use in The Times that year (Martin). Today we use the phrase as a way to exaggerate how long we have to wait around for something. Instead of waiting for the cattle to come in, however, we’re probably waiting in traffic, or for our Big Mac or our Caramel Macchiato. I’m sure if today you asked some city-folk, they probably wouldn’t know that cows are slow moving, but they have probably heard or used that phrase before. The phrase probably caught on because at one time, so many people around the world were experienced with cattle, which it was relatable to them, and now it has just passed down through the generations. Although the subject of the phrase has changed in contemporary settings, the idea of waiting around will be here… until the end of time.
ReplyDeleteMy mom always says, “I’m going to ‘hit the hay.’” Although she grew up on a farm, she didn’t have a hay mattress, which is where this phrase originates. To “hit the hay” or “hit the sack” means to go to bed. Before our modern day, comfortable mattresses, people used to make their mattresses by stuffing sacks full of hay. When they laid down in bed, they literally “hit the hay.” I was surprised to find on “The Phrase Finder” that this saying seemed to have emerged in the American sports scene. Professional athletes were quoted in the early 1900s using the term. “In 1905, Paxton Sport USA included this: ‘[the baseball player] has a language of his own. Going to bed for him is to “hit the hay”’" (Martin). With this term as well as “until the cows come home”, I think it is used today because we’ve heard our parents and grandparents use it. Even though today our mattresses are not hay, the phrase “hit the hay” sounds better than “hit inner spring core or materials such as latex, viscoelastic, or other polyurethane-type foams… [or] air or water or a variety of natural fibers” (“Mattress”).
sources:
ReplyDeleteMartin, Gary. "'Till the Cows Come Home." The Phrase Finder.
Web. 4 Oct 2009. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/382900.html.
Martin, Gary. "Hit the Hay." The Phrase Finder.
Web. 4 Oct 2009. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/382900.html.
"Mattress." Mattress: a World History. Wikipedia, 29 Sept 2009.
Web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattress.
The phrase “the cat’s meow” is one of those odd phrases I hear used by all sorts of people every now and then. Used to describe anything exceptional, from a fine lunch to a great party, “the cat’s meow” has a variety of uses. Through some research, I learned that this is one of the rare expressions that actually has a defined source: a Mr. Thomas A. Dorgan, an American cartoonist also holding credit for phrases like “for crying out loud!” and “hot dog”. Derived in the 1920s, this phrase is still heard today in the same context in which it originated, keeping in mind that in that time period, cool people were commonly referred to as “cats”.
ReplyDelete“Cock of the walk”, a phrase used in reference to “a dominating person in any group,” is an old phrase still very much in use. There always has been, and there always will be, that one haughty person in most group dynamics. I believe this phrase got its origins on the farm, as the cock is always the dominating bird among farm poultry. In time, people began realizing this is true in human social dynamics as well. In research, I found that this phrase originated in the agricultural world of the mid 1800s. Surprising, since I’m sure this phrase was needed centuries before then.
A phrase still very much in use, even six hundred years after its original debut, is the popular “don’t beat around the bush”. Today used to tell someone to get right to the point of their story, this expression had an entirely different context in the 15th century. It is quite obvious where this one originated: the world of sex talk. Men believed that if a woman was around, aka an available “bush”, then they should not masturbate, or “beat” in her presence. Rather, they should simply get down to business and have sex with her already. When thinking about this phrase a little more, I have realized that this is one of the few old phrases that still sometimes gets used in its original context.
Sources:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the%20cat's%20meow
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/169431/Thomas-Aloysius-Dorgan
http://www.yourdictionary.com/cock-of-the-walk
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=don't%20beat%20around%20the%20bush
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/58500.html
Apple of My Eye—Ever since I was little, my mom has always told me that I’m the “apple of her eye.” My mom was and still is the type of mom who uses little expressions and words to make her kids feel special. “You’re as cute as a button,” “You’re my honey-pie,” “You are as sweet as sugar…” are just a few of the many phrases she constantly used in describing my sister, my brother, and me. Judging from the other expressions she uses, there’s no doubt in my mind that “apple of my eye” is a positive phrase, most likely meaning that one is special and marveled at by the speaker. The “apple” is viewed with an elevated perception from the ordinary person.
ReplyDeleteOpening a Can of Worms—Similarly to the phrase above, I learned this phrase from my mother who repeatedly said it throughout my childhood. Today, my sister is one of my best friends. I can’t imagine life without her. When we were younger, however, sibling rivalry didn’t even begin to describe the turmoil and chaos between us. My mom would try and talk to us individually and offer us approaches and methods on how to deal with our angers and frustrations. When I would bring up little problems that in the grand scheme of things, didn’t need to be addressed, my mom would tell me that voicing such issues with my sister would “open a can of worms.” Judging by its context, the phrase most likely means starting an entirely new issue from that already in place.
According to Wikipedia, the phrase “Apple of My Eye” originally referred to the actual center of one’s eye. However, today most people use the phrase figuratively meaning, “something or more usually someone, cherished above others. As sight is so precious, someone who is called this as an endearment is similarly precious.” The phrase first appeared in an Old English piece called “Gregory’s Pastoral Care.” It later was used by Shakespeare and quoted by King David in Psalm 17 who “asked God to remember and love David as his child: ‘Keppy me as the apple of Your eye, hold me in the shadow of Your wings’.” (Ps 17:8).
According to Wisegeek.com, “Metaphorically speaking, to open a can of worms means to inadvertently create numerous new problems while trying to solve one. Experts disagree on the origin of the phrase, but it is generally believed to be a Canadian or American metaphor coined sometime in the 1950s. Bait stores routinely sold cans of worms and other popular live baits to fishermen, who often discovered how easy it was to open a can of worms and how difficult it was to close one. Once the worms discovered an opportunity to escape, it became nearly impossible to keep them contained.”
The most recent use I’ve heard of “Apple of my Eye” was in a song by a popular recording artist named NeYo. Today, I believe, the phrase is solely used to describe someone special—a far striation from its origins that described the actual eye. I think the expression caught on because it uses sweet imagery to describe someone special…. similar to how people use the terms honey, sweetie, pumpkin, etc. when describing someone they care about. Regarding opening a can of worms…. its history isn’t that old so its meaning has pretty much stayed the same. I think it caught on in the 50s because of the popular nature of the fishing industry and has stayed as a part of everyday vernacular because of its young age.
http://www.idiomsite.com/appleofmy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_of_my_eye
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-it-mean-to-open-a-can-of-worms.htm
“Fish out of water”
ReplyDelete-I think this saying has been around since human’s started to fish commercially. Between stabbing the fish with a forked stick and the giant barges with nets that catch much more than fish. Probably when we started fishing more than just to feed ourselves and immediate family – when we fished enough to have a surplus to sell or when fishing became a sport or when we started fishing. I think the saying was originated from primarily coastal people. Their contact with fish would lead them to know the effects of a “fish out of water.” The rotting smell and attraction of flies makes it a negative saying. The act of applying it to people is catching some one being that fish – so it is a negative action that person is being caught doing. Something that isn’t natural because fish need water to survive. Something that is out of the norm, a person sticking out because they are not in their normal environment.
-What it really means: “Someone in a situation that they are unsuited to” - One of the oldest metaphors used in the prologue of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1). The origin of the word fish yields more information. “Fishy "shady, questionable" is first recorded 1840, perhaps from the notion of "slipperiness," or of giving off an intrusive odor. Fish story attested from 1819, from the tendency to exaggerate the size of the catch (or the one that got away). Fishtail (v.), of vehicles, first recorded 1927. Fig. sense of fish out of water first recorded 1613.” (2)
-How it applies today: Well it has adapted to a fun swimming-pool game! The person in the pool has to guess only by sounds whether the other players are out of water. In a way we are using the same elements (use senses, in this case hearing instead of sight) to determine that a person is not in a place they should be. Outside of the pool it is used to describe someone who is obviously not in an environment that they would normally belong – like a librarian being at a goth dance club in her sweater and mary janes.
“Counting Sheep”
-I think the phrase came from the more mountainous areas of America and probably from North Eastern European immigrants who raised sheep and carried over the skill. I think it also can go as far back as biblical times with shepherds. Sheep could have been the source of food, clothing, money and knowing how many sheep you had was important for the owner’s survival. The sheep were their investment and the only way to keep track of them was to count. I’m sure it’s a very difficult job and would get boring even tiresome. Losing track by dosing off or completely falling asleep and then a wolf or other predator comes due to the lack of attention.
-What is really means: NOW is a way to combat insomnia – the technique of counting imaginary sheep jumping over a fence has been used since 1854 (3). The technique is generally to help humans sleep by giving the mind something simple and repetitive to think about while simulating the eye motions in REM sleep (4).
-It is applied now as a means to lull yourself to sleep. I don’t think any further research has been conducted on the actual origin of the term which is disappointing.
Works Cited In Order of Appearance:
1.http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/fish-out-of-water.html
2.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fish+out+of+water
3.http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/103375.html
4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_sheep
The phrase, The last straw which breaks the camel's back, amuses me because every time i hear it a very graphic image pops into my head. When this saying came about I’m assume the use of animals for transportation was much more prevalent. Probably pre-industrial farming equipment. At one point we heavily relayed on animals to carry weight loads much bigger than us humans could. Directly in this case, a camel was carrying bales of hay and any more would cause the camel to collapse. As it turns out, the earliest citation of this phrase is from The Edinburgh Advertiser, May 1816:"MR. BROUGHAM remarked, that if it [a tax on soap] were only 3d. a head, or 4d. and 5d. upon the lower orders, yet straw upon straw was laid till the last straw broke the camel's back."(phrases) However nowhere online does it support my idea of a real camel’s back breaking due to too much force. Today the phrase is used in the same way as it initially was used. Anymore of something and it will cross the line.
ReplyDeleteMy next phrase, “Kill two birds with one stone,” probably originates from something longer ago. It means to get two jobs done with one task. Birds are now killed with riffles but it is very possible to pick up a rock, throw it at a bird, and kill it. If you were to kill two birds with that on throw, it would be a great use of one rock. Today this phrase is used when talking about trying to do something fast and efficient. Its origin dates back almost 2000 years ago. (phrases)
Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-last-straw.html
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/29/messages/738.html
Barking up the wrong tree
ReplyDeleteThis idiomatic expression came from when hunting dogs would go barking at trees thinking what they were hunting was up there. The first printed use of this expression is in 1832 in James Kirke Pauldings Westward Ho! It then appeared in several newspapers slowly catching on in the US in the 1830s. In relation to life that doesn’t include hunting dogs, it means making a wrong assumption. An example is if I ask someone who is not artistic, but I don’t know it yet, a question about painting, they could respond with you are barking up the wrong tree. The trees are where the answers lie, but some people choose the wrong tree to find the solution to their specific problem. I think this expression caught on because people don’t like to be wrong and this saying implies that there is a correct answer and the question is legit, but that person is looking in the wrong place.
Between a rock and a hard place
This expression refers to when someone has to choose between two bad options. Everyone has had multiple times in their life when they have had to make a decision between to choices that are not satisfactory in any way. The earliest printed use is in Dialect Notes V in 1921, in which was responding to how mineworkers needed to choose between being underpaid and working in harsh environments or being unemployed and living in poverty. I have never had to choose between such extremes but I do know what its like having to choose between two terrible options and sometimes finding the better of the worst can be hard. The rock and hard place can vary from each person. Some people have rough selections that don’t seem so bad to others, so this phrase can be very specific to a certain person and the selection they have.
"Between a rock and a hard place." The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases | List of sayings | English sayings | Idiom definitions | Idiom examples | Idiom origins | List of idioms | Idiom dictionary | Meaning of idioms. Gary Martin, 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2009.
"Barking up the wrong tree." The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases | List of sayings | English sayings | Idiom definitions | Idiom examples | Idiom origins | List of idioms | Idiom dictionary | Meaning of idioms. Gary Martin, 1996. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. .
The phrase “Who let the cows out” may not be known to most. In fact, I only know it because of hearing my grandpa, who is in his late 80s and still lives on a farm, used this term. The phrase is about letting something be out in the open when it is not supposed to be known. I am sure the phrase can be used in many different ways, depending on what kind of animal you are accustomed to. The phrase is probably a reference to a mistake on a farm, which can cause problems, similar to gossip. Other than from my grandpa, I have never heard this exact term. I have heard “who let the barn door open” and a similar phrase I believe is “let the cat out of the bag.” The term to let the cat out of the bag can mean false goods, or trickery (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag.html). I think that this phrase is losing meaning in the world today, spreading gossip or telling secrets can be called much more relevant phrases.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase “Shaking like a leaf” is a strange phrase to me. I remember hearing it when I was young around my parents and their friends, and it was usually in regards to me. Being scared of my first day of school, having to perform during a piano recital, the list goes on and on about my nervousness. Saying someone is shaking like a leaf means that they are nervous or scared. I imagine the term came about long ago. I am sure it has to do with how leaves shake around during storms. I think that as long as there are trees that shake around during a storm, and nervous people, this phrase will remain relevant.
“Running around like a chicken with its head cut off” is very strange phrase. Most people have not seen a chicken run around with it’s head cut off, but everyone knows that sometimes when chickens get their heads cut off, they are still able to move. The phrase means to act crazy or to panic. The term was probably very common in the 1800s when most people lived on farms. Because so many people lived on farms, most probably saw this occur and made jokes of it. The first usage of the phrase in the United States was written in 1882 describing a prisoner who had escaped (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/231500.html). I am sure that the phrase is still used today, but probably not as much as it was in the past. As long as there are farmers and people who have seen a chicken run around with no head, I think the term will be used.
Work Cited:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/231500.html
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag.html
Tschirhart, Robert.
The phrase “A dime a dozen,” was believed to be originated sometime around the 1800’s. This 200-year-old idiom was created when a hen was expected to yield at least 10 viable eggs out of 12 that are laid. Insinuating that something is very common, found easily, or not highly valued. Today we conventionalize the phrase when referring, for example, to boys. A girl might declare, “Don’t let it go to your head. Boys like that are a dime a dozen.” This idiom was also popularized by the entertainment industry on several occasions. The 2003 comedy film, “Cheaper by the Dozen,” is a prime example of this phrases influence on popular culture. The family of 12 move from a small town in Illinois to a big city after the father gets his dream job. With the difficult tasks of raising so many children, the family soon begins to fall a part. In a sense, the main lesson behind the story line contradicts the title. Eventually, the family discovers the value of their large family and that nothing is easily replaced.
ReplyDeleteAnother agrarian idiomatic expression is “It’s raining cats and dogs.” This phrase referring to a very loud and noisy rainstorm dates back to the 17th century. During this era, English peasants could not afford to have domesticated animals, such as cats and dogs, roaming their small plots of land. This was a precaution just incase the animals destroyed or ate the crops. The solution was to keep these animals on the thatched roofs of their cottages. If it began to rain heavily, the roofs would become very discommodious and slippery. This caused the animals to sometimes fall from the roofs. Even though today we no longer keep or pets stashed on top of our roofs, we still speak the phrase. When I was younger my parents would always tell me “it’s raining cats and dogs.” As a child it is very imaginative because you reference it in a very literal manor. Any time there is a large thunderstorm I still catch someone repeat this popular idiom. In a sense, it has had a calming effect on my nerves. Typically, I freak out during storms. If someone verbalizes the phrase, it comforts me and reminds me of my childhood.
Sources:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dime%20a%20dozen
http://www.idiomsite.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349205/plotsummary
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=raining+cats+and+dogs
Bad Trip
ReplyDeleteI would rephrase this: a psychodelic crisis.
This phrase describes a terrifying experience. Even though commonly related to drug use: a slang term in response to a scary encounter with LSD or other psychedelic drug. As interpreted directly, this phrase can express feelings of anxiety, alienation, isolation, terror, uncertianty, judgement, etc. all at an exaggerated level.
This phrase has been accepted in youth culture to desribe even the most routine experiences. For example, going to class or a visit to the dentist.
(1)
On Cloud Nine
rephrased: In my own little world.
This phrase describes almost the complete opposite reaction to an experience. Instead of being overwhelmingly stressed or scared, this phrase describes being the type of content over comes you, and nothing else matters. You are in a total state of pure bliss, a rush of emotion; and warm happy thoughts. An euphoric state.
This phrase originated "from the U.S. Weather Bureau's rating of clouds. A cumulonimbus cloud is rated 9 often reaching 40,000 feet. In the 1950s a popular radio show "Johnny Dollar" in a recurring episode the hero was knocked unconcious and awoke on cloud nine." (3)
In modern day this phrase basically defines the same feelings it always has, but as culture changes the reasons for acquiring this level of happiness changes. Or it is brought on by different events, that affect people differently, uniquely.
(4)
(1) badtripguide.com
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_trip
(3) Source: Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, Nigel Rees
http://www.unm.edu/-dave/words/cloud.html
(4) www.hippy.com/article-159.html
mit jemandem ein Hünchen zu rupfen haben.
ReplyDeletea German phrase that literally means 'to have a chicken to pluck with somebody' but to translate into English would be similar to saying 'I have a bone to pick with you.'
It is a very common phrase, that used to express the Germans favorite emotion: anger.
Bei ihr ist eine Schraube los.
a German phrase that translate to "she's got a screw loose." or literally, she's a little "off".
http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa030899.htm
My first idiom choice would be “ripple effect”; it means that when an action affects something, the surroundings get affected at the same time. It isn’t difficult for us to realize the meaning of the idiom since we have all seen the “ripple” effect in our daily lives; however, how many of us thought of the word can be used as a idiom that is so related to our certain life situations? The person who started using this idiom, I believe, must be someone who puts enough concentration to the natural world. Therefore, it became natural for the person to just speak the phrase out the moment he sees a chain reaction, which he would instantly connect it with the shape and the movement in the “ripples”.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, this commonly used phrase is applied in various fields including computer science and in the economic world. Unlike the term “ripple effect”, other similar phrase like “Butterfly effect” is a bit more theoretically created. There’s no explanation needed for “ripples”. That is why I think of it as a powerful phrase.
Work Cited:
http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idiom-categories/consequences-effects.ht
“Crocodile tears” is an idiom might be a little less heard of compared to my first choice. To shed “crocodile tears” means to shed false tears or show insincere grief. This saying is originated from an ancient anecdote that crocodiles in order to lure their prey. It is also said that they cry for the victims they are feeding. This tale was told back in the 14th century. I consider this as a unique way to express human emotion because it uses wild lives’ habitual behavior to deliver the message. This idiom may also mean that there are no boundaries or differences between us human and the natural world, which I think is a crucial point that Leopold has been trying to established in his book A Sand County Almanac.
Another explanation for the “Crocodile tears” is based on crocodile’s habitual behavior; it is a fact that crocodiles don not have the ability to generate tears due to the lack of tear duct. “Crocodiles possess lacrimal glands which secrete a proteinaceous fluid, just like in humans, though tears will only be visible after a crocodile is out of the water for a prolonged period of time, and the eyes begin to dry out.” (Wikipedia~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_tears). However, they don’t really “cry”. Some people prefer one of the two explanations simply because two different types of beliefs; one that is more spiritual and the other one would be more theoretical.
Work Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_tears
ttp://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idiom-categories/animal-idioms.htm