Sayings....

Todays saying...

Takes Two to Tango​

The phrase refers to the South American dance, the tango, which requires two partners to perform. It originated in the 1952 song, "Takes Two to Tango," by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and gained popularity subsequently as an expression.

In today's lingo, it basically means that the situation is the responsibility of two people.
 
Watched the "Gladiator " with Russel Crow last night. Watching them spar to the possible death as commanded by the Caesrar du jour got me to thinking of the saying & action of "thumbs up" -- or down -- that he used. So I did some research.

Sure enough the phrase began with the Roman gladiator bouts. When one of them lost, the crowd would voice their choice to the Caesar. In turn, he normally followed their wishes and signaled by pointing his thumb either up or down. Up meant for the winner to let his defeated foe live while down for him to kill the defeated one.
 
I can’t believe with all you fisher-liars, nobody mentioned they are up schit creek without a paddle.

And here we are so dry that you can fart dust.
 
Bluehair said:
I can’t believe with all you fisher-liars, nobody mentioned they are up schit creek without a paddle.
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Here's everything you need to know. :rolleyes:

Meaning: You're in deep trouble and unable to do anything about it.

Example: His first parachute wouldn't open, then the emergency one failed - you might say he was up the creek without a paddle.

Origin: The phrase is a gentrified version of a WWII saying “Up sh!t's creek without a paddle” which summons up a mental picture more graphic than the current refined one... Imagine being in a rowboat at the top of Niagara Falls and you lose an oar!

Alternative: The expression goes back about 100 years and was probably first “up Salt Creek”, if we are to judge by the popular 1884 political campaign song “Blaine up Salt Creek.” A salt creek is a creek leading throught the salt marsh or mashland to the ocean - it's very easy to get stuck in one and, without a paddle, a boatman would have no way to get out. The excremental version coneys the same idea, but makes the situation even worse. Thanks to “Word And Phrase Origins”, Robert Hendrickson.

Alternative: This phrase came from Haslar Creek in Portsmouth harbour. Wounded sailors during Nelson's time, were taken there to die. They were held prisoner so that they would not desert if they recovered, and some escaped by going through the sewers to the creek.
 
Maybe this one has already been shared. Grandpa said it and I say it all the time.

“Slicker than snot on a doorknob”
 
Founder said:
Maybe this one has already been shared. Grandpa said it and I say it all the time.

“Slicker than snot on a doorknob”
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Origin: This is another one of those colloquial idioms that do not have a definite origin but is immensely popular in the South of the United States. The two variations are both used but have different, equally disturbing meanings. The first variation “slicker than whale snot” is more than likely in reference to the greasy consistency of whale blubber oil (which was used to make oil for lamps, soap and margarine before the banning of whaling). The second variation, “slicker than snot on a door knob” is literally a quite nauseating way of comparing how ‘slick’ something is to ‘human snot’ being on a solid object. I uh….I am not to fond of that one. Blah.

Meaning: Comparison between a slick surface and that of snot/whale oil to express the extent of the slickness.
 
sam hill
As in " what in the sam hill is that"
Sam Hill is an American English slang phrase, a euphemism or minced oath for "the devil" or "hell" personified (as in, "What in the Sam Hill is that?"). Etymologist Michael Quinion and others date the expression back to the late 1830s;[1][2] they and others[3] consider the expression to have been a simple bowdlerization, with, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, an unknown origin

One of the possible explanations
Store owner in Arizona: Sam Hill was also a mercantile store owner who offered a vast and diverse inventory of goods. People began using the term "what in the Sam Hill is that?" to describe something they found odd or unusual, just like the inventory found in Sam Hill's store. The original Sam Hill Mercantile building still stands on Montezuma Street in Prescott, Arizona, and is listed on the register of Historic Places.[5
 
Close but no cigar​

Origin: You’ve probably heard someone say ‘close but no cigar’ or its variant ‘nice try, but no cigar’ from your Uncle if you’re from the American South or perhaps from anyone else from around the world after the popularization of the phrase. The origin of the phrase is not defined to one specific place and time but in the mid-20th century; fairgrounds, bars, and stores had nickle games that gave out cigars as prizes. The phrase was put in print in Sayre and Twist’s script of the 1935 film of Annie Oakley: “Close, Colonel, but no cigar!” After this it appeared more and more in US newspapers and other publications; causing an increase in popularity throughout the world.

Meaning: Not reaching the successful outcome and thus will get nothing for your efforts.
 
Buckhunter1955 said:
If something is easy, piece of cake.
If something is hard, can of corn.
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In reality, they are both for something easy. The 'can of corn' one has been part of baseball for as long as I can remember. It refers to an easily caught hit -- usually a pop-up or such.

The idea of cake being “easy” originated in the 1870's when cakes were given out as prizes for winning competitions. In particular, there was a tradition in the US slavery states where slaves would circle around a cake at a gathering. The most “graceful” pair would win the cake in the middle.

Can of corn -- A very easy task. The phrase is thought to come from the act of dropping cans of vegetables from high grocery store shelves with cane-like rod and then catching them.
 
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It’s raining like a cow pissin on a flat rock where I am.

But I don’t know my azz from a hole in the ground.
 
I once heard a guy say “I’d like to break her open like a shotgun, and jerk her on like a boot”. Well, maybe more than once. :)
 
Everyone knows the saying, "you can't have your cake and eat it too." A few years ago I heard it was actually originally "you can't eat your cake and have it too", but over time it changed to what we know now. Ever since then I say it like it was originally coined. I could be wrong but it makes more sense when you think about it.
 
Not a saying but Great Grandpa once told me "there were just as many women screwed in the back of horse and buggy's as there was Model T's".

My Aunt would say "what the Dickens".
Dickens means Devil.
 

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